An independent island state in the North Atlantic has fallen under the sway of Rolph Mylchraine, a landowner who has gained ascendancy by stage-managing witchcraft orgies and purveying cheap liquor. Opposing him is Keig, a peasant of extraordinary physical strength, resulting in a guerrilla war.

In The Strong Man, Keating has produced a unique and original cast of characters to illustrate the fatal tendency of power to corrupt.