Ireland, 1845. To Briana Walsh, no place on earth is more beautiful than Carrowteige, County Mayo. The small farms surrounding ancient Lear House are managed by her father, agent to Sir Thomas Blakely. Tenant farmers grow oats and rye to pay their rent, surviving on potatoes that flourish on the remaining land. Then blight devastates the potato crop, leaving families with no food and no mercy from the landowner. Rory Caulfield, the young farmer Briana hopes to marry, shares their despair - and their anger. As hunger and disease kill and displace millions, Briana must find a way to guide her family through these dark hours - toward hope, love, and a new beginning.