Salt and Soil is a tale of love, set in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars, as two people come together to share their lives, in order to meet the demands and pleasures of their adjoining West Country estates.
 
Their story is intertwined with the adventures of their fleet of merchant vessels, extending amongst others to the island of Saint Helena, where an encounter takes place with Napoleon Bonaparte, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, innocently colluding in a rescue attempt of the Emperor, and to the island of Jamaica, bringing about an escape from rioting slaves.
 
Mark Boulder was brought up on a family estate in the depths of the English countryside, where he was fortunate enough to experience the remnants of a dying era, and where he gained his love for nature and for the agricultural life that surrounded him.
He entered his family shipping business, absorbing its diversity and its challenge, so that, even today in his retirement, a passing vessel never fails to stir his interest.
Salt and Soil embraces several of his past memories.