Cornish farmer Joseph Moyle's loyalty to the crown goes well rewarded - his step-son Ralf is appointed page to the future Charles II. And when Ralph takes up his post Britain is in the midst of its most tumultuous period ever - the war between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians and the dawning of an entirely new era ... Ralf's duties oblige him to follow the heir to the throne through the western counties, as he learns of court intrigue and the constant threat of Cromwell's armies. And of romance. As Charles begins the first of many affairs, Ralf falls in love. But this first love is a dangerous one. Brighid is an Irish Catholic . She is also complicit in an attempt to kidnap Charles - a fact that Ralf discovers when he foils the plot ... In 1645, when the conclusive Battle of Naseby marks ultimate defeat for the Royalists, Ralf follows Charles into exile. His return finds him more experienced, promoted to personal secretary - and desperate to return to Cornwall. But after ten years of loyal service to Charles, Ralf's dreams of the homecoming to his beloved Trecarne are shattered...