Andrew Farquharson, a young Scot travelling abroad, in the course of his adventures is given a unique seed that will grow into a forest of giant trees once grown by an almost extinct Red Indian tribe. He finds, after some searching, that the place that will best grow the trees lies on a bankrupt Scottish estate whose bare acres will be inherited by a young girl, Primrose Tebb. Although she is only a child, Andrew marries her and proceeds with his plan to grow the forest. Meanwhile Primrose, pretty and headstrong, is growing up in her own way despite Andrew's well-meaning efforts to educate her suitably at a young ladies' school in Edinburgh. The result is a clash of wills between Primrose and her husband that is fought out against the background of the ever-growing trees and the old house of Pless where Primrose's family have lived. Also involved is her beautiful cousin Penuel and the sinister half-Indian Saginaw who has come with Andrew from his travels in Canada. The story unfolds itself as the trees grow; its outcomes are unpredictable as their twisted branches.