Niall returns from Montreal to Quebec, to personal and political troubles. The turmoil that results from the shootings of three bystanders by British soldiers leads to an acrimonious 1833 parliamentary session. Partisan passions run high, and friendships across political lines become fraught. Meanwhile, within the Neilson family that has become as close to Niall as his own, troubles mount. The eldest son, now Editor of the Quebec Gazette where Niall works, has a falling out with his father and leaves for the old country. Mr. Neilson finds himself more at more at odds with his former political ally and close friend, Louis-Joseph Papineau and the Quebec liberals. The Neilson's younger children, John and Agnes, find themselves in serious scrapes and turn to Niall to rescue them. And as Niall's romantic relationship with Julie falls apart, he is heartbroken, especially when she leaves the city for Montreal and a career. But his involvement with the Nielson family becomes more intimate as his relationships with Margaret and Samuel develop.

As the months pass, and the British colonial government makes one ham-handed decision after another, it stokes the wrath of the Patriote party. As its leaders become more radical in their demands for change, the English and Scotch merchant communities formalize their opposition into a party of their own. Violence on both sides marks the 1834 elections.

This second volume of Jan Morgan's story of the road to rebellion covers the period from 1832 to '34. Told through Niall's fictional journal, memoirs and letters, the novel sticks close to the facts, while dramatizing those events where no record exists. It is an exciting tale, filled with conflict and passion, quite different from most people's view of Canada as a 'peaceable Kingdom.'