In 1877 young Barney Simpson leaves colonial Sydney town in search of his fugitive father who, as farrier for the police, murdered a trooper two years earlier. His journey takes him to a gold rush town in northern Australia where thousands of fortune seekers are digging for gold. Barney becomes immersed in life on the frontier, witnessing its highs and lows. While employed as leading hand at the Cavalier hotel in Cooktown he conducts his search. His investigations take him to places beyond his imagination, challenging his courage and at times his sanity. He is unaware of the identity of Abbey's husband and mistakenly engages her in a passionate embrace behind the stables. He could never have guessed the dire consequences that flow from the interlude. Street-wise Barney wrestles with the problems encountered, trying to side-step some and confronting others. If his initiatives fail then his father will surely go to the gallows and others, including the Police Inspector will face ruination. And further, how is he to reconcile the conflict between the two lovers who have come into his life? The Farrier's Son, well researched and true to the times, gives a colourful commentary of Australian colonial life. The story relives history telling in dramatic fashion how the rich and the poor collide with one another and the law. The portrayal clearly describes the ethnic conflict between the Europeans and the Chinese who flock to the diggings and the Aborigines defending their land.