England, 1643. Puritanical fervour has gripped the nation. In Manningtree, depleted of men since the wars began, the women are left to their own devices. A newcomer Matthew Hopkins, a mysterious, pious figure dressed from head to toe in black, takes over The Thorn Inn and begins to ask questions about the women of the margins. When a child falls ill with a fever and starts to rave about covens and pacts, the questions take on a bladed edge.