The young daughter of a vicar runs away from home and takes up a life of excitement and success along the highways of 1680's England.
After twenty years of rule under Charles II, England had become a lawless land. It was a time of plenty for highwaymen, footpads, cut-purses, murderers and burglers.
Tamar Ellerby, the 21year old daughter of a vicar, had always been rebellious, a tom-boy, preferring swords and pistols from an early age. Tutored by a soldier from the Civil War, Tamar had become the best ‘swordsman’ in Northamptonshire and when her father insisted on an arranged marriage, Tamar decided to leave home, heading for London. She enjoys the thrill of the unexpected, quickly supporting herself by robbing unwary travellers. Discovering she is pregnant, Tamar arranges for an abortion, almost dying in the process.
Gambling is proving to be ruinous for Cornelius Clarkson and he is thankful when he gains the trust of the largest handler of stolen goods in the North of England, John Bannister . Unfortunately, Clarkson becomes ever more greedy and Bannister arranges for his arrest and subsequent hanging. Clarkson however manages to escape, bent on revenge. Meeting up with Tamar, events do not turn out as he expected.