At the start of the nineteenth century Major Jack Ridley returns to England only to be shipwrecked off the Dorset Coast where he witnesses the opportunistic slaughter of the crew and his new Indian wife. Totally distraught and mindless of the consequences Ridley sets out on the remorseless hunt for the villains upon whom he exacts violent revenge. It falls upon Nathaniel Eldine to enforce the law and bring Ridley to book but Nathan's sympathies lie with the charismatic killer whom he recognises as a victim rather than a criminal. This quandary stays with Nathan as he builds his case against Ridley and pursues him across Purbeck in a swashbuckling story with unexpected romance and surprising twists before the young squire can resolve his dilemma.