This historical novel recounts the life of Norman McLeod, a charismatic but domineering Scottish preacher who led a party of highlanders into exile after the clearances in Scotland. After settling in Nova Scotia and building ships, they travel to Australia, then on to New Zealand, settling in Waipu, in Northland. McLeod is a tyrant, whose behavior is challenged by three generations of women who are subsequently banished from the community. The novel looks at issues of transgression and nonconformity within a moralistic culture, the need for mutual support and the difficulties facing early pioneers.