Overview

After a blissful seaside interlude, Oliver and Jack are arrested for theft and sent to Axminster Workhouse. They are put in the less-than-tender care of Workmaster Chalenheim, who controls the work they do, the food they eat, and the punishments they must endure.

Oliver struggles with the shame of being in a place he thought he’d left behind long ago. Meanwhile, Jack is confronted by a predator who tests the limits of Jack’s love for Oliver.

They must escape the workhouse before they succumb to the harsh conditions or are separated by the hangman’s noose, whichever comes first.