It is 1842 and Christopher Robertson and his family are on the brink of starvation. Living in a tiny stone cottage on the Shetland Island Coast, they work as farmers and fishermen, so in debt to their landowner that they have no hope of ever breaking free. With a cruel father, two troublesome sisters, and a brother up to no good, life couldn't be worse. Or so Chris thinks. When his brother frames him for the theft of their father's secret bag of coins, Chris has no choice but to runaway to clear his good name. His quest to find the stolen coins takes many twists and turns, including time in prisons and the home of a beautiful girl--until he discovers a clue to another stash of coins left by a mysterious American spy from New York City. A place, Chris soon learns, that has dangers of its own.