It was a time of climate change and colonialism, puritans and populism, witch hunts and war. Drawing on unpublished manuscripts and the voices of countless victims of the crossfire, Jessie Childs weaves a thrilling tale of war and peace, terror and faith, savagery and civilisation. Throughout, we follow artists, apothecaries, merchants and their families from the streets of London as they descend on the royalist stronghold of Basing House.