Walter Davenant, a Catholic, and his Protestant friend, John Whitefoot, find themselves on opposite sides in James II's war to retain the throne of Ireland against the challenger, William of Orange. Caught up in a war in which each side is hampered by poor leadership and foreign influence, Walter and John demonstrate that friendship is stronger than politics or religious partisanship. Walter helps John feed the starving children during the siege of Derry, and later defends Mrs. Conyers and her daughter, also Protestants, when their house is attacked by mercenaries from William's army. Walter's adventures include several hair's-breadth escapes—one from the Rapparees and another from a Dublin mob—and an eleventh-hour reprieve of an order for his execution by Ginckle, William's Dutch general.
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