To avoid scandal, Lady Leah Harrington's parents arrange a temporary position for her in Australia as a companion to her aunt. Leah vows on her return to England, she'll forge her own future as a published lady of letters. However, now that she’s learned men are not to be trusted, having her sensibilities muddled by a dashing navy captain is not what she had planned for herself. Despite France’s ever-present menace during the Napoleonic Wars, Captain Heath Trevelyan is ordered to transport a load of convicts aboard his ship destined for the penal colony of Australia. As a favor, he also provides passage for an alluring young woman and her aunt. When his ship sinks during a storm, a battle of endurance ensues for Heath and the survivors. What will he obey? His orders or his heart?