Alex finds a diary that belonged to Carrie O'Neill, who came to the village of Hope (near Nelson) following Richard Burgess, her young, handsome lover and the father of her unborn child. There she endured his trial and execution as the leader of the Burgess gang, responsible for the infamous Maungatapu Murders that shook New Zealand in 1866. Alex realizes that her penchant for living on the edge parallels Carrie's situation in more ways than one. Alex is no angel, but the events that unfold shock even her.
Felicity Price's second novel once again draws on real dramatic events in our past, bringing them into contemporary focus with environmental issues, set against the backdrop of the wine industry and Nelson's famous Montana World of WearableArt Awards.