Episode list

1680: Young Ned Hawkins comes to Hadley, Massachusetts, to collect rents from the settlers on behalf of his father, the landlord. When native Americans attack Ned fights them off along with Pastor Russell and his daughter Hope in a party led by William Goffe, a fugitive regicide wanted by Charles II for his part in his father's execution. Goffe makes it clear to Ned that he sees his father as a greedy land grabber. In England republican Angelica Fanshawe falls foul of tyrannical clay pit owner Hardwick and his kinsman Judge Jeffreys, who forces Will Blood to spy on Angelica's 'nest of vipers' in return for his father's life. Now married to Roman Catholic John Francis Angelica is about to celebrate her daughter Beth's birthday when outlaws led by Goffe's son Abe arrive, robbing the guests, who include the Duke of Monmouth, Charles' illegitimate son who is hoping to mount a rebellion. Abe rides off with Beth and tells her that her true father was Edward Sexby, a man who gave his life fighting injustice. Back in Hadley Edward Randolph, the king's agent, tracks down Goffe, who commits suicide rather than be arrested. As Pastor Russell is taken to be tried for harbouring a regicide he asks Ned to warn Angelica that she is in danger.

John Hawkins sends Ned back to England to avoid his being accused of helping a regicide whilst pastor Russell dies in prison and John insists that Hope marry widower Henry Cresswell so she will not be alone. In Oxfordshire Beth and Abe blow up the clay-pits where Hardwick has been using slaves as his work force and go on the run as highway robbers. They meet Ned, who is on his way to warn Angelica that her letters to Goffe have been intercepted. As a result Jeffreys, who is trying to provoke John Francis into denying the Popish Plot to kill the king, has his evidence and arrests John. Abe tells Ned that he is Goffe's son and soon afterwards attempts to kill king Charles but is himself wounded and nursed by Angelica. The boys escape but Beth and her mother are also arrested and charged with assisting a regicide. Angelica agrees to plead guilty if Beth is exiled to the Americas, rather than face execution. King Charles now seems to have eradicated all opposition and dissolves his parliament, giving himself total autocracy.

King Charles gives Hardwick Angelica's land for new clay-pits but denies him the house until he has captured Abe. Aware that Angelica's faithful servants will be condemned to work in the clay-pits Abe goes to London to seek out his father's old friend Colonel Sidney and they plot to assassinate the king but they are caught and imprisoned. Beth's ship is wrecked on the shore at Massachusetts and she is adopted by the Wawanaki tribe, led by Masca, with whom she mutually falls in love and goes native. In Boston Hope marries Cresswell to the dismay of Ned, who has returned to the New World. He begins an affair with her but are discovered by Cresswell who forbids them to meet on pain of death. In order to clear the natives off their land Cresswell , acting in collusion with Kohn Hawkins, makes a present of blankets to the Wawanaki but they are deliberately infected with small-pox. Lacking any immunity many of the tribe, including Masca, die. Realizing that Cresswell has deliberately murdered them she stabs him in the presence of Ned.

With Cresswell dead Hope and Ned are free to marry. They are, however, suspicious of John Hawkins' part in distributing the infected blankets and argue with him. As a result he has a heart attack and dies, asking Ned to take over his business though Ned is more concerned with helping Beth to hide Hope. Abe is visited in Oxford jail but Angelica's maid Agnes, who gives him a potion which simulates death and his 'corpse' is thrown into the plague pit, from where Agnes and her grandfather Adam rescue him. However Colonel Sidney is executed but Ned manages to obtain the colonel's writings, advocating freedom from Britain for the colonies, which he has smuggled into Boston. He and Hope are organizing a meeting for like-minded young colonists but they are interrupted by armed troopers who shoot and kill them. Beth returns to England to see the insurgents who took part in Monmouth's unsuccessful rebellion, being put to death. These include Agnes and Adam but she is reunited with Abe who has managed to escape.