Mary, a widow, and her two sons have moved to a new farm in the'scottish Borders where, for the first time, they are landowners. The play's action is spread over the first year in the new place and details the family's daily routine, their attempts to make the farm pay, Mary coming to terms with widowhood, the boys growing up without a father and the exploration of their own awakening sexuality — in the case of Donald, emerging homosexuality.