In which a rugged winter journey through a grim industrial valley introduces us to John McMurdo, a resolute and enigmatic Irishman newly arrived in the rough town of Vermissa, where coal and iron rule the harsh landscape and the shadows of secret brotherhoods loom large. Among working men and wary policemen, McMurdo’s spirited demeanour and the unexpected kindness of strangers pave his way to lodging under the care of the Shafter family, setting the stage for mysterious and momentous encounters to come.