''Yong,'' my father said one night as I sat on the earthen floor, stroking my pet cricket and determined to save it from being eaten. ''You will come with me to Australia.'' Yong doesn't want to leave Guangdong to travel to the goldfields of Ballarat. But as the firstborn son, he has no choice. On the long and treacherous journey, Yong strives to be an honourable son, while he and his father face many hardships and dangers. But in his heart he knows the shameful truth - that his honour is a lie. Can a journey change lives? Has Yong the courage to face what lies ahead?