Jack Flynn, strong and aggressive, but slowly dying of tuberculosis on his farm in Tipperary in the Republic of Ireland, decides to acquire - buy - a young wife who can bear him sons to inherit his family's land.
His choice, Caitlin Spillane, is less than half his age, attractive and intelligent, and resents bitterly the obedience that is forced upon her.
When a young firebrand, a supporter of the IRA, arrives in the village, he and Caitlin are drawn together in their detestation of Flynn, the harsh and tormented man who is a supporter of the more diplomatic, peaceful approach offered by Eamon de Valera. Could Caitlin be won for the cause, and leave her unloved husband?
A novel set against the struggle for the heart of Ireland in the Second World War, when the IRA notoriously sought assistance from the Nazis.