"Inspired by true events, Gebler's narrative follows land agent Thomas French, appointed to bring order to a decaying and profitless estate in County Monaghan, Ulster, following the Great Famine. When he offers the poverty-stricken farmers free passage to America in exchange for the rights to their land, French attracts the enmity of the local Ribbonmen, a brutal and merciless secret society, who sentence the land agent to death.". "A battle of wills ensues between French and Isaac Marron, the leader of the Ribbonmen, whose attempts at bloody retribution only serve to drive a divided community still further apart. Gebler's lack of sensationalism in describing horrific scenes of cruelty and his refusal to oversimplify issues, ultimately increases the impact of his story."--BOOK JACKET.