The three huge rocks rose from the bay of the tiny Scottish fishing village of Cullen. The locals called them 'The Three Kings', but to orphaned Katie Mair they were 'The Three Wise Men', her trusted friends and the only ones to whom she could tell her troubles. And as she leaves her childhood behind, her troubles can only increase. At fourteen, she is old enough to go into service, and her formidable grandmother has already found her a position. But the household, bleak and cut off at the Howe of Denty, is not as respectable as it first appears. And one desperate act of defence from Katie is to a start a chain of despair, passion and revenge.