To escape marriage to a loutish farrier or ruin in the arms of a dilettante aristocrat, Bridie accepts a proposal from a man she has never met. A man who, above all, says he wants an educated wife. But Angus MacAllister is steward or 'tacksman' of a remote Highland township, and Bridie is used to the comforts of a great estate. Life in a blackhouse comes as a shock.
Can Bridie learn to be a good wife, and can she ever grow to love the man she married out of desperation?