Davie Armstrong watched as his master, Angus McBain, thrashed young Molly Geary for refusing to name the man who had dishonoured her. And yet, not an hour later, Davie saw the two of them alone in the malthouse, and Molly was acting like a whore on market day. In a whirl of disbelieving rage, he overheard McBain's plan - to let him, Davie, take the blame and marry Molly, to give the child a name. And he was not alone in witnessing the scene, for with him was Angus' daughter Jane, Davie's staunch ally. But it was the birth of McBain's true son Amos that unleashed the course of actions that resulted in viplence and tragedy. Born with no legs and emotionally crippled, Amos would wield power of frightening intensity and bring disaster to all at Cock Shield Farm.