This captivating story, set in the West Yorkshire moorlands, tells of a young teacher, Peter, as he seeks to establish himself in his new profession while searching to create a home for his young family just below the King's Beacon.
The story defines the taxing relationship between Peter and a pupil, Joe Webster. As the story unfolds, trust tentatively blossoms between Peter and Webster, mainly through the school's brass band. However, after Webster's involvement in a gang attack, he looks to the one person he feels he can trust, Peter.
Throughout, the book enthralls with Peter's efforts to build a home for his family in a rundown seventeenth century moorland cottage beneath the King's Beacon. The book sensitively describes the extremes of life typical on the Yorkshire moors.
The story has a final twist when Peter makes a decision that has major implications for the family.
