The Batleys and the Caldwells owned neighbouring farms on the beautiful, wild Northumbrian coast. But there all similarity ended, and enmity began. For between the two families raged a violent and bitter feud – a feud so powerful that the very name of Cadwell made Ralph Batley seethe with uncontrollable fury. Into this stormy atmosphere came Linda Metcalfe, a young agricultural student, who became involved in the tensions between the two households on the day of her arrival. Employed by Ralph Batley, Linda soon found herself in a very difficult situation. For not only had she unwittingly become a part of the feud, but had begun to feel a strange admiration for Ralph, who made it painfully clear that he had no use for her either on the farm or in his life. The past erupted into the present, forcing Ralph to see Linda in a different light and in the process bringing the Batley/Cadwell heritage of folly to a final resolution.