The episode examines the rise of the Shiners, an Irish-dominated criminal gang led by Peter Aylin Following the completion of the Rideau Canal in 1832, thousands of unemployed Irish labourers were left desperate for work. Aylin exploited this situation by hiring Irish lumbermen and forging a tight group called the Shiners.   

Aylin and his followers eventually extended their influence into civic institutions through intimidation and election rigging, culminating in attempted murder of a newspaper editor. Public outrage led to arrests and armed resistance against the Shiners, marking the collapse of their power in Bytown.