In 16th-century Scotland, Young Sawney Beane yearns to itch and scratch and buccaneer. So he bids farewell to his parents and their life of honest toil. Forty years on, Mr. Beane croaks his dying wish to Betty, his wife. “Go and find out long lost son.” And so Betty strikes off on her quest across the land, with the family savings in a hankie and a secret suspicion in her heart. The True Story of Sawney Beane reveals what happened to the infamous Scottish cannibal. Not only was he the vilest felon in the kingdom of King James VI, he was also a son, beloved of Betty.