Kidnapped

The story follows the adventures of David Balfour a young and recently orphaned teenager who is the rightful heir to the Shaws estate. The novel begins with David leaving his home in the Lowlands of Scotland to claim his inheritance from his uncle Ebenezer Balfour who lives in a bleak and foreboding mansion called the House of Shaws. Upon arriving David quickly realizes that his uncle is a miserly and cruel man who has no intention of handing over the estate. In a treacherous scheme to get rid of David Ebenezer arranges for him to be kidnapped by the crew of a ship called the Covenant captained by the unscrupulous Elias Hoseason. David is taken aboard and finds himself bound for the Carolinas to be sold into slavery. However fate intervenes when the Covenant encounters rough weather and collides with a small boat off the coast of Scotland. Among the survivors brought aboard is Alan Breck Stewart a Jacobite rebel and a fugitive with a price on his head. Alan’s fierce independence and cunning make him a formidable ally for David who soon finds himself caught up in the political and clan conflicts of the Scottish Highlands.