A poignant story of courage and compassion in eighteenth-century Penzance. Jessica Trenchard is a spirited and wayward daughter - to the point that her father Clem is considering remarrying, to provide her with a suitable role model. Until, that is, her tender care of a speechless girl found abandoned in a field touches the heart of Kane Pengarron, the landlord's eldest son. But when Jessica's attempts to unearth her new friend's true identity threaten her safety, she realises that nothing is quite as it seems. For a murderous rogue who has been terrorising Mount's Bay for years has every reason to hate the Pengarrons...