In 1845, Linguistics Professor Fabrice Cleriquot Is Despatched From Lyon To The Swan River Colony, Sent Away With A Box Full Of Silkworms To Stop Him From Bringing More Disgrace Upon The Family. Accompanying Him On Board Theelizabethare Twenty-eight Mismatched And Misguided Catholic Missionaries Including Dom Salvado, Who Seeks To Create A Spanish Benedictine Monastery Deep In The Bush, And The Irish Sisters Of Mercy, Who Are Fleeing A Dreadful Famine.given The Job Of Distributing A Huge Donation From A Wealthy Benefactress, Fabrice Bears Witness To The Folly Of His Travelling Companions Whose Presumptuous Attempts To Rescue The Colony And The Original Inhabitants From Themselves, Can Only Lead To Tragedy.