Tia, the strong-willed and beautiful daughter of a fundamentalist lay preacher, is brought up in the harsh conditions of the island of North Uist and spends thesummers with her grandmother in Benbecula. It is there, when she is sixteen, that she meets Malcolm, a young sailor on the North Atlantic route - and falls deeply in love with his rough and ready charm. But there is a problem: Malcolm is a Catholic and Tia's fanatical father will only consent to the marriage if herenounces his faith. Elopement seems the only answer for the young lovers but soon tragedy strikes leaving Tia pregnant, alone and shunned by her family...