This novel tells the story of one woman's journey from the slums of 19th century London to the gold rush of San Francisco and the Opulence of New York's 5th Avenue.

From the slums of Victorian London to a New World! Matilda Jennings was a poor flower girl in Covent Garden until the day she saved the life of a minister's daughter called Tabitha. Drawn into the bosom of little Tabitha's family, she little realizes it will soon mean uprooting her own life. For Matilda leaves Victorian London's slums and heads first for the darkest corners of New York, then beyond into the plains of the Wild West and San Francisco's gold rush. With only her beauty, intelligence and the strong will she forged on London's streets to guide her, Matilda must create a new life for herself and Tabitha. Between the sweat and tears, heartbreak and passion, she encounters Captain James Russell, a man in whom she might find true love. A love that must withstand separation, war and the birth pangs of a new nation. But through it all, Matilda knows she must never look back...