A young man caught between the soil that made him and the world that beckons him. Colin Campbell has grown up on his parents' farm at Holy Loch in the Scottish Highlands, but his future lies in Glasgow University and the ministry - a path that will lift him above his humble origins. When he saves the life of Harry, the privileged son of a baronet, Colin is drawn into a social sphere that was never meant for him. At the great house, he meets Matty, a witty and flirtatious young woman far above his station, and against every reasonable instinct, he falls in love. The novel traces Colin's years at university and as a summer tutor, where destiny throws him into Matty's company once more. Between his studies, he and his even more serious friend Lauderdale engage in long metaphysical debates about Christianity and the Kirk of Scotland. Colin makes a fateful decision in the desperate hope of being near her - one that will reshape his entire life. Volume Two follows Colin to Italy for his health, accompanied by Lauderdale, where the story transforms into something almost new. In the hills near Rome, they encounter a dying man and his sister, and Colin faces another hasty decision that may determine his entire future. It is a novel about ambition, class, faith, and the terrible precision with which love can undo a man's plans.
