 Sean Thornton has returned from America to reclaim his homestead and escape his past. Sean s eye is caught by Mary Kate Danaher, a beautiful but poor maiden, and younger sister of ill-tempered "Red" Will Danaher. The riotous relationship that forms between Sean and Mary Kate, punctuated by Will s pugnacious attempts to keep them apart, form the main plot, with Sean s past as the dark undercurrent.