It’s 1989 and Clara and her parents are staying at the Mount Buffalo Chalet for the centenary celebrations. It couldn’t be more different from their last visit—there were four of them then and they were a family. Now they’re three separate people, orbiting around each other while trying to navigate their overwhelming grief.
With her twin Darius gone, Clara has no reference point anymore, no guide. It’s like being lost in the bush without a compass. Without him, she doesn’t really know who she is.
After a strange night, Clara wakes up in 1892. There she meets Alice, a girl who lives within the fern-filled valleys. To her surprise, Clara recognises Alice, and she knows more about her than Alice knows about herself. She is Guide Alice, the girl considered a rebel of her time, an adventurous non-conformist who spent much of her life boldly leading people along rugged trails between granite tors and misty mountain peaks.
With Australia in the grip of a Depression, Clara and Alice are inadvertently caught up in a heist. To save Alice’s life—and the life of Alice’s brother.
Clara must rediscover the courage she has always had, and become the girl she was always meant to be: someone who doesn’t hesitate to dive in.