There have always been Herons at Heronscourt, the beautiful estate in the heart of the Gloucestershire countryside. Sir George Heron is a staunch Royalist, a fair landlord, and a devoted family man; Lady Mary tends her family as she does her beloved garden. There, the place of honor belongs to the quickenberry tree, in whose shade many a family secret is shared.

Their seven children are cherished, but their favorite is second daughter, Lucy, a quicksilver heroine and the focus of this enchanting novel. Poised on the brink of womanhood, Lucy experiences emotional turmoil that mirrors the political upheaval of strife-torn Britain. Her girl's heart is captivated by the Celtic charm of her smooth-tongued cousin, Cathal, but her woman's appetite is aroused by the sophisticated attention of Silken Will--merchant adventurer, captain of the high seas, and a gentleman of abundant charm and no politics.

Spirited, intelligent, wise beyond her years, Lucy fights to preserve her family's fortune and its unity as the English Civil War pits Catholic against Protestant and brother against brother. The dark clouds of war gather and brood over Heronscourt as they do over all England, and the family must know bitter strife, heartbreak, and betrayal before peace and harmony are once more brought back to Heronscourt.