The background of this psychological adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson is the conflict between Scots and English in the mid-18th century: Lord Durrisdeer sends his son James, known as the Master of Ballantrae and heir to the family estate of the same name, to fight against the English, while his other son Henry remains in Durrisdeer. James survives the devastating defeat of the Scots at Culloden and flees halfway around the world to America, but eventually returns home, where Henry has since taken over the family inheritance in his place. The feud between the rival brothers escalates beyond measure, until Henry fatally wounds James in a duel. However, the Master of Ballantrae will return from the dead...