Set in the aftermath of the 1745 Jacobite rebellion, the story follows the adventures of a wounded English soldier, Hugh Askham, who falls in love with the beautiful, feisty, young Scottish widow who is obliged to help nurse him back to health. As he recovers she gradually gets to know him and when he is wrongfully accused of treason and in danger of his life, she realises that her feelings towards him have changed. Their story unfolds from the brutal realities of war in the west Highlands to the gaiety and frivolity of Georgian London, then to rural Hampshire and to the battlefields of Flanders. It explores Hugh’s development from callow, selfish young lover to a considerate husband and father. It introduces a wide cast of characters including some actual historical figures, such as James Wolfe, who could have been present at the time.