London, 1836. Street-smart Maggie Burnett from the back alleys of Cheapside, is imprisoned in filthy, rat-infested Newgate Gaol. There she meets the gentle Sarah Hamilton, and the rough Scottish woman, Agnes MacDonald. Along with a hundred other women, they have been sentenced to transportation to start a new life on the other side of the world.

Once on board the ship to Van Diemen's Land, they realize that Newgate was comfortable compared with the perilous journey on the high seas with a crew of lustful sailors.

In a land where men outnumber women seven to one, it will take all of their courage and wits just to survive. What choices do each of them make when faced with the dangers inside the Female Factory, and the loneliness, violence and fear of the unknown outside? Will the taint of the `convict stain' follow them for the rest of their lives?

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Inspired by true events of the lives of convict women in early colonial Australia, this is a tale of resilience, rebellion and compromise. Lynne Hume's deft weaving of well-researched historical facts with carefully crafted characters brings authenticity to this fictional tale. Readers will be swept along, wanting to know more, and pondering what they might do in the same situation.