Set against the background of Montrose's devastation of the Argyll heartlands in 1644, the action is seen through the eyes of two soldiers of fortune recently returned from service abroad - Elrigmore, a melancholy dreamer and John Splendid, an adventurer and a natural leader.

Set against the background of Montrose's devastation of the Argyll heartlands in 1644, the action is seen through the eyes of two soldiers of fortune recently returned from service abroad - Elrigmore, a melancholy dreamer and John Splendid, an adventurer and a natural leader.