Amos Barrowfield is a clothier from Kingsbridge, the center of the cloth industry in the west of England. He works for his father, traveling from town to town to purchase raw wool. When he arrives in Badford, the locals seem distracted. He learns that his friend, Harry Clitheroe, has been badly hurt. Amos fears for Sal, who produces yarn for him in her spare time. He visits Sal, who blames Will Riddick for Harry’s accident. Now more than ever, she needs the wages Amos can pay her. Amos assures her that he will do what he can, but he believes that “the squire should take care of [her]” (19).

Outside, Amos runs into his old school friend, Roger Riddick. Roger is Will’s younger brother. Whereas Will is spoiled, violent, and mean, Roger is an educated man whose passion is inventing “ingenious toys” (20) for his own amusement. Roger invites Amos to stay the night in the Riddick family home. Amos envies Roger, who is studying at university. Amos would have liked to go to university, but his father insisted that he join the family business. Roger notes that his father has always liked Amos, despite Amos’s “radical views” (22). In the Riddick house, Amos sees Will and George (the middle of the three Riddick brothers). Over dinner, they discuss the local militia, which has become more active due to the possibility of war with France or domestic uprising. The local militia is under the command of Henry Northwood, the son of the earl of Shiring. George, an Anglican rector in Badford, criticizes the French revolutionaries. Will is also critical, but Roger defends the French Revolution. When George criticizes the Methodists, Amos—a well-known Methodist—downplays his supposedly radical views as simply a matter of free speech.

Amos visits his local workers. He sees people praying in the Methodist fashion outside Harry and Sal’s cottage, much to the fury of George Riddick. George criticizes the “ignorant villagers” (27) whose Methodism, he warns, teaches them to be disobedient. At that moment, Harry dies. Sal and Kit weep together; Amos says a prayer.

Arabella Latimer is the middle-aged wife of the Bishop of Kingsbridge, Stephen Latimer. Arabella’s daughter, Elsie, is amused by her mother’s newfound passion for growing roses. The Bishop is much older than Arabella, and her life has long seemed devoid of passion. Elsie shares an idea for a passion project of her own: She wants her father’s approval to set up a Sunday School for the poor children of Kingsbridge. Elsie knows exactly how to manipulate her father into giving his approval. She summons a poor local boy named Mason and seeks help from a local weaver named David Shoveller, known to most people as Spade. The “charming and well-mannered” (35) Spade boosts Elsie’s idea; she also appeals to her Anglican father’s sense of rivalry with the local Methodists. The Bishop gives his approval. Spade, supplier of the best fabrics to many of the town’s wealthiest women and an advocate for workers’ rights, congratulates Elsie. Arabella agrees to visit Spade’s shop to thank him for his support.

On the day of the funeral, Sal rises after a sleepless night. She leaves Kit in bed and ventures out to confront Will Riddick, who is shooting partridge. She reminds herself that there is “nothing to be gained by abusing those in power” (39). She tells Will that he killed her husband and that he should support her with her husband’s wage. Instead, he offers her a dead partridge. Sal goes to the Riddick house to speak directly to Will’s father, Squire Riddick. He is known to be “not as evil as his son” (41), but he is reluctant to side with Sal over his son. He suggests that she appeal to Poor Relief, though Sal points out that this is run by his other son, George, who dislikes Methodists like Sal. Feeling drained, Sal leaves. She returns home and readies Kit for the funeral. George Riddick leads the service,  rushing through the words carelessly.

Later, Sal notes Harry’s death in the family Bible. She struggles to answer Kit’s questions about religion. She believes that her son is intelligent and “a special child” (45). As she is reading to Kit from the Bible, George visits to discuss the Poor Relief. He recommends that Kit work at his family manor, which will require the six-year-old Kit to live at the manor and work long days. He will only see Sal on Sundays, and if he runs away, he will be flogged. As George takes Kit away, Sal tries to console him. At the house, Will sees Kit and mocks him as a “little whelp” (51). As Will complains to his father that Kit’s presence is a “permanent reproach” (52) to him, George gives Kit a tour of the house and introduces him to the other servants. The servants feed and comfort Kit. Later, Roger Riddick arrives. He is kind to Kit, and Kit decides that Roger must be “a wonderful person” (55). Kit learns to polish boots.

Hoping to meet a girl later, Amos Barrowfield busies himself at work. Yarn supply is low, and he is annoyed at his father for not dealing with this shortage before it became an issue. Unlike his father, Amos believes that he has “a responsibility to the people who [depend] on him for a living” (57). He confronts his father, voicing his frustration at his lack of independence, his lack of wages, and his lack of a social life. His father is unwilling to listen, so Amos consoles himself by talking to his mother, then leaves to attend a Methodist meeting. English Methodism emphasizes personal faith, emotional experience, and social outreach, focusing on salvation through grace and a disciplined, methodical Christian life. In contrast, Anglicanism, rooted in the Church of England, upholds formal liturgy, hierarchical structure, and a broader theological latitude, blending Protestant doctrine with elements of Catholic tradition. The recent proliferation of Methodism in Kingsbridge has caused some tension; Amos is one of the best-known figures in the Methodist community.

At the Methodist Hall, he sees Jane Midwinter. She is the daughter of the Reverand Midwinter, the Methodist leader, and—according to Amos—she is “the prettiest of all [the girls in Kingsbridge]” (61). For years, Amos has been in love with Jane, but she seems uninterested in him. She is determined to maintain her social status and wealth; Amos, yet to inherit his father’s business or earn much money, feels that she will not be interested in him. They are friends, and he loves her from afar. While he watches her talk to Rupe Underwood, a potential romantic rival, Amos talks to Spade about the flying shuttle, an invention that could revolutionize textile production. Amos laments his father’s lack of foresight. Eventually, Amos asks Jane whether she would like to “walk out with [him]” (64), and Jane bluntly but apologetically turns him down.

Kit works at the Riddick manor. He is woken each morning at 5 am to polish boots and clean the house. Fanny, the 13-year-old maid, teaches him how to perform the daily chores. She is an orphan who was taken in by the Riddicks and given a job. When Will surprises Fanny and Kit one day, they drop a chamber pot. Will beats them, insisting that “children need to be chastised” (69). Roger criticizes his brother’s behavior. Each Sunday, Kit sees his mother. He tells Sal about his experiences, how he hates Will but worships Roger. She credits him as a “proper little worker” (70). Though Kit fears horses, he is made to clean Will’s riding tack and saddle. Steel, a large black stallion belonging to Will, bucks and kicks Kit in the head. The doctor recommends that Kit rest for six weeks. He does so in the Riddick manor, and Roger assures him that the accident was not his fault.

Amos is woken from an intimate dream about Jane and told that his father has died. Amos is overcome with grief, despite his difficult relationship with his father. He will now take over the family business and the household. He feels “no thrill of satisfaction” (77) at receiving his added responsibility in this unexpected fashion. When he informs the bishop of his father’s death, he is consoled by Elsie. He considers her “quite plain” (79) but the two are close because of their plans to set up the Sunday School.

Amos buries his father. Feeling “free of his father’s tyranny” (80), he begins to think about ways to modernize the family business. At the wake, he talks to Jane. Since his prospects have improved immeasurably, he hopes that she might reconsider his invitation. Jane is surprised by Amos’s optimism, since she knows that his “business is deep in debt” (83). She has heard from her father that Amos’s father borrowed heavily from Jospeh Hornbeam, a tough and harsh man who arrived in Kingsbridge from London 15 years earlier. Amos is shocked and embarrassed. After the wake, he inspects the business accounts and discovers that Jane was right. He next day, he visits Hornbeam, hoping to clarify the matter and establish a payment plan to settle the debt. In his austere study, Hornbeam listens to Amos’s offer to repay the debt over four years by expanding and modernizing the business. Hornbeam flatly refuses this offer. The debt must be settled in four days, he says, otherwise he will take over Amos’s business. Amos is shocked by the “greedy and pitiless” (90) Hornbeam.

Spade is interrupted at his loom by a visit from the distraught Amos. Spade is an ambitious man and respects Amos, so he feels sorry when he hears Amos’s story. Spade believes that Hornbeam offered the loan to Amos’s father with the expectation that it would never be repaid, thereby allowing Hornbeam to expand his business by taking the company as payment. Though Amos is upset, Spade has a plan. He asks Amos to trust him. After Amos leaves, Spade reflects on the greedy, cruel Hornbeam and hopes that he can thwart the man who treats his workers so badly. Spade visits Canon Midwinter and reveals his plan: The Methodists raise 104 pounds together, 13 shillings and 8 pence on Amos’s behalf. The Methodists will then lend Amos the money, allowing him to repay the loan and keep his business. Midwinter agrees, and Spade makes plans to solicit donations.

Spade visits his sister’s shop. They run a business together: He makes the fabrics, and Kate turns them into fashionable clothing for the women of Kingsbridge. Currently, she is making a coat for Arabella. She visits the shop to try on the coat and flirts with Spade. Kate lives above the shop with her partner, Rebecca. Kate and Rebecca are lovers; Spade closely guards their secret. Kate and Rebecca are “like husband and wife in every respect that mattered” (99) but LGBTQ+ relationships are not tolerated in British society during this time. A few days later, Spade visits Amos. He tells Amos about the loan, and together, they present the money to Hornbeam in the presence of Justice Drinkwater. When he learns what has happened, Hornbeam turns “red with rage” (102). The trio departs, believing that they have made an enemy of Hornbeam. Spade returns home. Seeing Arabella again, he is surprised that he is attracted to her. His wife died 10 years earlier, along with their child. He has been celibate since and rarely are his passions stirred, yet the bishop’s wife has awoken something in him.

Amos faces an “uphill battle” (106) to turn around his family’s failing business. Meeting his old friend Roger Riddick, he discusses the matter. Roger, who has a gambling addiction, has just lost his money in a notorious establishment run by Hugh “Sport’” Culliver. Over a quiet drink, they talk about the spinning jenny, a machine which dramatically increases textile production and which “is so easy to use that a woman can do it” (108). Roger suggests that they visit a friend with such a contraption, so that he could install a similar machine for Amos.

At a Methodist meeting, Amos and his fellow Methodists talk about the situation in Continental Europe, where France is winning many battles and—rumor suggests—may soon be at war with Britain. The French Revolution is a controversial subject in Kingsbridge. Spade warns others not to let their radical views become too well known.

Roger and Amos travel to Coombe to see the new machine. With a few modifications, Roger believes, it could be adapted to work with wool. They buy a used machine and, buoyed by optimism, Amos tries to bid for a military contract. He visits Henry Northwood, the colonel of the Kingsbridge Militia, who greets him warmly. The militia’s requisition, however, is handled by Will Riddick. Amos meets with Will in Culliver’s establishment. Will seems receptive to the bid, but as he outlines the process, he asks for a bribe. Amos refuses to pay a bribe to Will because “it’s not how Methodists do business” (121). Will sneers at him.

As Kit’s six weeks in bed come to an end, Will returns to the Riddick manor. Kit is impatient to return to his normal life. He will spend the final weeks of his recovery with his mother, who comes to collect him. After an emotional reunion, they run into Will in the hallway. Will mocks Kit, claiming that “it would have been no great loss if the whelp had died” (126). Sal is furious. She punches Will in the head and knocks him down, leaving with Kit.

Later, Sal is summoned to meet with the squire. She knows that she is in “deep trouble” (127) and fears that she will be flogged. Before the squire, Will lies about what happened, but Sal says nothing. She knows that the squire will instinctively side with his son. Will’s meanness, however, grates against his father, though the squire orders that Sal can either be publicly flogged or she can leave Badford. Sal chooses to leave her hometown, relying on her neighbors’ support as she moves to Kingsbridge, where she hopes Amos Barrowfield may help her. Sal and Kit carry their meagre belongings to Kingsbridge, where they run into Amos and Roger, who is greatly amused at the story of Will being hit in the head. The men have just finalized the new machine, and Amos offers Sal a job working with the “new machine” (137) for more money than she expected.