The end of 'organised' combat between the forces loyal to King Charles I and those loyal to Parliament. Charles, isolated in Oxford, is slowly losing all control as the New Model Army under Generals Fairfax and Cromwell deal the final hammer-blows to a disorganised and demoralised royal army.

How all this affects (or is mostly disregarded by) the inhabitants of small Devon towns and villages, who have other things on their minds - how to ensure a sufficiency of food; how they may simply get on with their day-to-day lives; how to protect their

children. How some survivors of the various 'battles' manage to make a life for

themselves when the fighting stops.

In other words - it is a story of 'ordinary' folk trying to live through a time of turbulence, religious turmoil, and general uncertainty. Bending official history slightly in the process!