It is 1910. Fourteen-year-old Rosie Waterhouse lives with her father, Sam, on a cottage on the Thornby Estate on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds. The estate is owned by William Ramsey, a man determined that his only son, Byron, should marry well and produce an heir. Sam is well known as the local poacher, although only to feed himself and Rosie, and to help the villagers when times are hard. Rosie quick to learn the tricks of his nefarious trade.

Rosie has seen Byron from a distance all her life, but they meet properly for the first time when he finds her poaching fish from his father’s stream. To her surprise, he helps her and they continue to meet over the coming months. Eventually, news of their meetings reaches William and he forbids Byron to meet Rosie again deeming her unsuitable company.

A ball and a shooting party are arranged at Thornby Manor and Byron is introduced to Pearl, who seems to be a quiet, biddable girl. They marry and have the desired son, but the marriage is not a happy one. Pearl is not what she seemed.

When William Ramsey decides to retire his aging gamekeeper and employ a much younger man, life for the village changes dramatically. Unrequited love, tragedy, romantic attachments and devoted friendship all intertwine as Rosie and Byron’s lives become entangled in their search for happiness.