This mini-series follows the fortunes, mostly misfortunes, of a group of Irish and English immigrants who come to Newfoundland in the early 19th century. Hoping for a better life, they find themselves instead in the remote, unpopulated, and hostile landscape of Cape Random, struggling to survive. The settlers face extremely harsh conditions and catastrophes that range from devastating storms to bear attacks, yet the small outport community staggers on. The story revolves around the capable Vincents, who run the cod fishing industry; enigmatic Thomas Hutchings, bookkeeper for the absentee owner of the fishing rights; the Andrews family, evicted from their home in England; and Mary Keane, orphaned Irish tenant girl, who shrinks from nothing in the fight for survival. Wrestling their existence from sparse soil and the capricious ocean, the strength and endurance of these early settlers--especially the women--is at the center of this narrative of what life must have been like in these remote places 200 years ago.