North Queensland was alive with goldrush excitement when a young widow moved to the new township of Port Douglas. Vashti Farrer opens the door on a colonial world, and hard pioneering lives in a tropical paradise. This illustrated book describes the men in Ellen Thomsons life, including the husband she was blamed for killing. It follows her agonising trial and surprise hanging, as well as the roles of Aborigines, Chinamen, policemen, Ellens children and a judge whose mind was made up. This riveting true story leaves readers wondering if justice was done.