John Buick

Two young children are brought to Janet Hinton, a social worker in the Scottish Highlands. When both she and an independent expert become convinced that the children are part of a ritual child abuse network, the small community is thrown into disarray.

The story, which is set in a small village on a remote Scottish Island, centres around the gifted Callum who is in his final year at school and preparing to go to University in Aberdeen on the mainland. He receives private tuition from Charles McAllister a former Headmaster at the village school who has become bitter since the death of his wife. McAllister coaches Callum in French and Poetry. When he is not coaching Callum he is compiling a photo biography of the characters in the village. The wedding of the young village nurse is to form the centre piece of his biography. The story traces the life of characters in the village as recorded by McAllister, but seen through the eyes of Callum. It is the story of the life, loves and motivators in the life of young man in the process of breaking free from the place where he grew up.

An elderly woman learns that she is dying of cancer. She and her husband leave their small farm on the Isle of Skye to visit their children to inform them of the news. During the journey, the couple rediscover their love for each other.

A woman looks back on her life as a political activist in Scotland from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Adolescent love can be difficult at the best of times, but Donal and Sally have special problems - problems which alarm their families and the instructors at Strathvale Centre.