At 22 years old, Robyn feels she is fast becoming an old maid. There are some eligible men in rural Midlothian, but Robyn has some competition from her particular friend, Amy.

Already engaged to a man she no longer loves, Robyn sets out to hunt for a husband in a countryside racked by social unrest.

Could her man be the collier hunted by the police - or the tall golfer? And who is the messenger who seems to appear just when he's not wanted?