Orphaned heiress Miss Curtis, daughter of a successful mine owner, is the belle of Melbourne. Despite being inundated with suitors, she marries the penniless Randolph Villiers, against the advice of her friends. Mr Villiers proceeds to fritter away his wife's fortune on gambling and riotous living, while Mrs Villiers, too proud to admit her mistake in marrying him, suffers in silence. When he attempts to force her into handing over her own personal sum settled on her by her father, however, she finally renounces him and leaves for Ballarat, where she turns her attention to mining. Known to the local people as Madame Midas, she maintains a hard exterior in order to hide the truth of her past and guard herself from the cruelty of men. But when two escaped prisoners land on the nearby shore, her newfound security faces a formidable threat.