"Passion Forsaken" begins in Ireland in 1865 when John Larkin inherits a modest fortune from his free-spirited Aunt Grace. John and his family immigrate from Castletownbere, Ireland to America and settle the township of Larkin, Maine. John soon builds a wealthy empire and a grand estate, becoming one of the wealthiest men in the United States. The family fortune is created by the development of the village, building homes and businesses, including a local lumber company and fishery, and by cultivating blueberry farms and the production of maple sugar products for local and international export. Hiding behind the wealth and social position are quirky English servants, the effervescent family chef Claude Mondoux, John's alcoholic wife Anne, their steadfast son Roderick and their mercurial daughter Mary Margaret, also affectionately known as Molly. When John hires a keeper for his lighthouse at Banshee Point, Irish immigrant Colm Sullivan, Molly is immediately enchanted by Colm and his perfect physical attributes. Their love affair turns tragic when John discovers the liaison and puts an end to it, but Molly is already pregnant with Colm's twins when John breaks up the affair. To divert a scandal, John forces Colm into an arranged marriage with Maureen Kelly, Molly's Irish maid. When Molly gives birth to twin sons, it is announced that Colm Sullivan and Maureen Kelly are the proud parents. Molly's conscience is another matter, however. As much as she insists she doesn't care about the children she gave life to, she is devastated when one of the twin boy's dies. She loses her grip on sanity and sinks into a deep depression, spending her days in self-reckoning and under the influence of laudanum in the attic of the family mansion. After a final meeting with Colm at the lighthouse, Molly decides to end her life by jumping from the cliffs at Banshee Point. Although cloaked in secrecy and madness, the love affair establishes a connection between their families that would endure for generations.
