Helen Davenport, governess for a wealthy London household, longs for a
family of her own--but nearing her late twenties, she knows her
prospects are dim. Then she spots an advertisement seeking young women
to marry New Zealand's honorable bachelors and begins an affectionate
correspondence with a gentleman farmer. When her church offers to pay
her travels under an unusual arrangement, she jumps at the opportunity.
Meanwhile, not far away in Wales, beautiful and daring Gwyneira Silkham,
daughter of a wealthy sheep breeder, is bored with high society. But
when a mysterious New Zealand baron deals her father an unlucky
blackjack hand, Gwyn's hand in marriage is suddenly on the table. Her
family is outraged, but Gwyn is thrilled to escape the life laid out for
her.
The two women meet on the ship to Christchurch--Helen traveling in
steerage, Gwyn first class--and become unlikely friends. When their new
husbands turn out to be very different than expected, the women must
help one another find the life--and love--they'd hoped for.
Set against the backdrop of colonial nineteenth-century New Zealand, In
the Land of the Long White Cloud is a soaring saga of friendship,
romance, and unforgettable adventure.