An impulsive bride with an Irish temper, and her husband, Captain Whiteoak, select Lake Ontario as the site of their new home.

It is 1863 and life at Jalna is peaceful. Philip, who will grow up to become the master of Jalna, has just come into the world, while Augusta, Nicholas, and Ernest are children. However, the Sinclairs come to visit and the Whiteoaks begin to suspect that the Sinclairs have a deep and dangerous secret.