In the bucolic late 18th Century English countryside, the Reverend Tobias Whitmore, Vicar of St. Margaret’s, is happily settled with his lovely wife Lucy and their baby son Jamie. However, a chance trip for the couple to the genteel spa town of Bath provides up all sorts of unexpected opportunities for romps and frolics, to Tobias’ eternal surprise.<br><br>The Whitmores’ dear friend Meg is out of sorts and unsure of direction in her prosperous life as a medium-grade courtesan. Her visit away to distract herself from her megrims takes to her to the seafaring city of Bristol to reunite with her good friend Betty. She also attracts the admiration of Merchant Seaman Alex Marriott. But is Alex all he seems? And should Meg risk her secure existence all on the dice of romance?

Olivia's home is the Green Man Inn, situated in medieval city of London. She is content with her life, running the bustling tavern with her father, and is taken aback when he suggests a long journey in late autumn into the west of the country to meet her mysterious bridegroom. As Olivia gets farther away from the busy metropolis, her concerns grow, especially as Halloween approaches. She senses something strange and unearthly in her fate, and her imagination conjures up fearful images. All alone in the wild forests of Wales, will she be an unwilling sacrifice to the pagan gods?

When the kindly old lord dies mysteriously and his nephew Lord Antonio occupies the castle high on the hill, the peasant folk in the village below begin to fear him. There are rumours of strange practices and ceremonies, far removed from their Christian beliefs. Once the soldiers come to collect their young, unmarried women to take part in these secret rites, the villagers are terrified, especially as some of the girls never come home. Catrin is full of dread when it is her turn; however, she has a secret. Rather than being a maid, she and her swain Elis have plighted her troth and she suspects, to her joy, that she may be expecting their child. This makes her all the more determined to survive her ordeal in the fortress, whatever that might bring, even if it means she has to resort to witchcraft and enchantment. Might her pact with the devil lose her everything she holds dear?