The same year that the British Royal Navy defeats Napoleon, Maren Cumberland becomes embroiled in the battle of her life. From a village in colonial America, where she has spent all her life and formed a close and lasting bond with an Indian girl named Blue Feathers, Maren is banished to England by her own mother, and placed under the control of a cunning despot who is, legally, her uncle. In an unthinkable situation, she must make the sea voyage alone, without friend or protector. The same day she disembarks at Plymouth harbor, war-weary veterans also arrive. Before she has gathered her own bags, Maren is thrust into a dangerous dispute that has dire consequences for her months later.Capt. Andrew Wolcott returns home to finally begin raising fine horses and caring for the family manor of Rosemeadow. He mistakenly believes his fighting days are over, but his most difficult battle is about to begin when someone more dangerous than privateers targets adjoining manors. Old loyalties and new friends put Maren in danger of losing her inheritance and later, her life. Captain Wolcott calls upon his oldest and closest friend for help, the embittered Scot, Alexander Thurlby, who observes clashing cultures when disguised enemies meet in an emotion-charged battle for survival.A flock of sheep, a magnificent herd sire named by Maren as Black Knight, and three young boys all play key roles in the life-and-death circumstances that envelope two disparate families. Can love and trust overcome fear and greed, or will Maren's mother succeed in a murderous scheme?