For the Oaks family at Aumery Park Farm in Sleightholmedale, life and death follow the rhythms of the seasons. As the children grow to adulthood, Jonadab Oaks finds his patriarchal authority diminishing....

For decades Jonadab Oaks has rules his family and farm with a rod of iron . . .Now Joseph, his eldest son, has announced that he has to marry pretty Mary Butler. Not only that, but Jonadab's two daughters,...

When Joseph Oaks makes a triumphant return to the little vale of Sleigtholmdale after more than twenty years in Canada, his visit is soon soured by family conflict. The Oaks family is idyllic and prosperous...