In the days when sailing ships still ruled the oceans, two young well-to-do sisters are both enamored with the same man, who is a bit of a ne'er-do-well and is, himself, in love with one of the sisters. He gets into a bit of trouble and must leave England for the untamed colony of New Zealand. The man never forgets his true love and after a few years in New Zealand, he writes back to England, asking the woman-he-never-forgot to join him in New Zealand as his wife.
The only problem is--he gets the names mixed up and addresses the letter to the wrong sister! The sister mistakenly chosen defies her parents and makes the trip half way around the world to join the man she loves. He is horrified to see the "wrong woman" on board ship but realizes he cannot reject her and send her back to England. So he makes the best of the situation.
Through earthquakes and uprisings of the aboriginal people of New Zealand, this is a sweeping story of love, hardship, redemption.
England