A tale of love, life, laughter and tragedy, with some smuggling thrown in, set amongst the people living near the tin and copper mines of St. Just, Cornwall, in the mid 19th Century. During the mid 1860's the author, R. M. Ballantyne, spent over three months living amongst the mine-workers of St. Just. He incorporates into his novel many historical facts, producing an exciting and very accurate portrayal of Victorian tin and copper mining and everyday Cornish life.