Daniella came to Ryders Ridge to heal herself. Shaken after a tragic incident in the city hospital where she worked, and feeling the pressure from her esteemed surgeon father, she figures the small north-west Queensland cattle town is just the place to escape. Caring and dedicated, she soon wins the trust of her patients, and the attention of the handsome and ambitious station heir, Mark Walker. As their relationship grows, Daniella begins to believe she could make a new life in Ryders, and forget what has gone before.
But small towns have their own problems. Under the big, outback sky, Daniella discovers that the social rumour mill can threaten both career and friendships, that small-town medicine can have a dangerous edge, and that Ryders holds secrets just like the big city. Mark, too, is a complication, for as good as they are together, how can a doctor make a home on a cattle station? Just as Daniella considers running away from her problems for a second time, a terrible accident forces her to face the secret she left in Brisbane, and the chance of losing Mark forever.
