2005: Eking out a meagre existence on rugged Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, England, Ewan Hurd had only vague memories of a childhood spent in a succession of childrens' homes. A private, introspective man, he had come to rueful terms with his lack of family, until a letter arrives with urgent summons from a stranger with a promise of startling revelations into his origins. A family genealogy research which reveals that for generations powerful forces have waged a murderous campaign to eradicate their blood-line. As events unfold, Ewan the eldest son of an eldest son and last of his line, discovers that this threat is very much on-going after three hundred years. How the dark side of his family history has long suffered under the shadow of Newgate Goal and Tyburn's Triple Tree of death; hunted remorselessly by the Thief-Taker. Accused himself of multiple murders that erupt around him, Ewan finds himself the subject of a massive, nation-wide man-hunt in which the men with guns, and one with a rope noose, will have no mercy when the chase is done. In London a dramatic alliance with a beautiful, enigmatic American girl unveils an amazing family tree with roots embedded in both sides of the Atlantic. A dynasty planted in the early 18thC by his mysterious ancestor, 'Jack', foot-pad and petty thief, condemned to hang at Tyburn for theft of the 'Watch of Succession', the catalyst for the family's long persecution. But then 'Jack' was the celebrated 'Escapee'. Only in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, will Ewan find the answers to momentous secrets, history best kept secret, blessing him with peace of mind and soul. - If he survives that long.