Based loosely on the true story of one of the author's ancestors, the story follows the life of Teague MacCarthy Reagh, the oldest son of a 1600's Irish tribal chief and heir to the title of Prince of Carbery. His life was changed dramatically and his arrogant pride silenced when the forces of Oliver Cromwell conquered his homeland.

Captured and sent to work as an indentured servant on an English plantation in colonial America, he spent the next seven years of his life working as a common field hand on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The hardships he endured brought about a sense of humility in him that had been absent until that time. Having eventually earned his freedom, Teague established his own plantations, married, and raised a family.

Along the way, he learned the meaning of friendship, valuing his relationships with two unlikely acquaintances. The lessons that he learned from them would remain with him for the rest of his life. Despite what he had been taught as a child, he learned to respect the people that he thought he never could.