In which Captain Dugald Dalgetty arrives at Inverary bearing a message from the Earl of Montrose, only to find the grim realities of feudal justice and the stern presence of the Marquis of Argyle, who questions his allegiance and authority with cold suspicion. Despite Dalgetty’s confident appeals to honour and military distinction, he is ultimately seized and imprisoned in darkness, caught between the fierce loyalties and intrigues of the Scottish clans.