After falling for a handsome young Australian named Daniel Thornton, Rebecca Williams gives up her life in high society Boston and follows him to his father's cattle station deep in the bush country of late 1800s Queensland. As she acclimates herself to her new surroundings and her new family, Rebecca is unpleasantly surprised to find that Daniel's father, Bertram, not only runs the prosperous cattle station, but also runs his son's life. And his influence doesn't stop there. It seems to Rebecca that Bertram oppresses his wife, his servants, his ranch hands, and even the rest of the townsfolk in Thornton Creek! Can Rebecca adjust to her awkward surroundings? Will she ever be able to get along with Bertram's bullying? Or will he drive Rebecca and Daniel apart once and for all?