Rogan Stewart unexpectedly falls in love with the married Elspeth Trant, but following the wilful destruction of his home anf familyj and being implicated in her husband's murder following a tragic poaching accident, then takes to the road in the company of a group of travellers to re-evaluate his life and the lessons that have come to him. There are poetic descriptions of the Irish countryside, bucolic pictures of life on the road, and serious discussions between the characters about ethics and morals, seasoned with much whimsy and reality.