Northwest Alba (Scotland), AD 1153. Eilidh MacAoidh dreams of a life as a healer and midwife, like her Grandmother Marsaili. But her family has other plans for her. Danger lurks when her father arranges for a marriage of convenience between Eilidh and a Norseman (Torleik) she's just met. She sails with Torleik to the Orkneys, islands just north of Alba. Once there, she discovers magical powers she hadn't known she possessed, but also finds herself in far greater peril than she could ever have imagined. The past she'd thought buried forever reappears in the form of Bennett Sutherland, the man who attacked her and warned her not to tell anyone or he would kill her. Now, he is back, and vows to take her for his bride.
Torleik needs a wife for his young, rambunctious son, after the loss of his beloved wife, Ulla. He's vowed to marry for convenience only, fearing he will betray her memory by taking another woman as his wife. But he hadn't anticipated meeting such a wild and vexing creature as Eilidh MacAoidh.
Yet, just as they embark on a new life together, someone is out to sabotage both of their plans. Why? Who wants to see the pair fail, and what is the motive?
In Laine Stambaugh's tour de force comes a tale of love and courage against the sinister workings of those who seek fortune and power above all else.
