Later all he could remember was the blood-red geranium on the window ledge. The vibrant flower found at every mine head. Superstitions long held of its magical power to keep the mine safe and the devil at bay. Well, it had not worked for Pa, had not protected him. The devil, in all his malevolent evil, had been there, to destroy the one person who had been the mainstay of Jonathon's life.

1821 survivor, Frenchman Christian de Furneaux crawls onto the dubious sanctuary of a Cornish beach. He sets in motion a saga that will encompass the tin mines of Cornwall to, decades later, the tin mines of South Australia.

His descendants, including protagonist Jonathon de Furneaux, endure the downturn of the tin and copper industries. They grapple with the emerging China clay trade. Unexpected deaths, missing children and alcoholism.

Jonathon travels to North Wales learns about sheep husbandry and slate quarrying but following setbacks, the family decide to seek a future in South Australia. They quickly become embroiled in the ethos of their new country and the different religious beliefs, cultures, politics of the 1880's and early gold rush finds.