'When her beloved father dies, Eliza Mayberry's privileged world comes crashing down around her. On the verge of losing the business that has been in her family for generations, she has no option but to take over the last remaining case: tracking down the elusive Fingal McLeod in outback New South Wales and bringing him back to Sydney.

'Fin, however, has other ideas. Determined to find the legendary Dark Flame, a rare opal that has eluded opal-hunters for decades, he has no intention of leaving his mine to reunite with the family who abandoned him – even for the beguiling Miss Mayberry.

'Drawn to the people and starkly beautiful landscape of the desert, Eliza discovers the new start that she's been seeking in this unlikely place. But as passion blooms under the scorching outback sun, secrets from the past and present are bubbling below the surface – secrets that could destroy both the fragile trust between Eliza and Fin, and the bright promise of the future.' (Publication summary)