A young tortoise narrates the tale of his dangerous journey on a transportation ship bound for Australia in 1861, and his friendship with a convict boy.Leopold, a young tortoise, is cruelly taken by sailors from his island home. All alone and frightened, he soon finds himself on board a convict ship bound for Australia, as the ship's mascot. He meets and is cared for, by a convict boy called Tom Carey. Tom has been unjustly convicted of a crime he didn't commit. As their friendship grows, Leopold discovers that Tom keeps a secret. And now his life is in danger. Will the kind Officer Meade help him?From the menacing prison guard on the ship, to a major catastrophe, the voyage to Australia becomes a matter of life or death for Tom and Leopold. Will they survive? And will Tom ever get back to England to clear his name?