Mostyn Evan and his family, miners turned bargees, wage a glorious
but hopeless struggle against rapacious coalmasters, Irish navvies,
the ravages of cholera, and the bullying illegal Unions.

As they ply their trade between the furnaces of Cyfarthfa and the lush
beauty of the Neath Valley, they pray and fight, sing and love, and face
each obstacle undaunted with all the stubbornness and exuberance
of Wales itself.

This is the third instalment in Alexander Cordell's magnificent saga of
nineteenth century Wales that began with classic bestseller The Rape
of the Fair Country.