[11] Harvest tells the story of a remote English village as economic progress disrupts pastoral idyll following an inclosure act.

The protagonist, Walter Thirsk, tells the story from his perspective, but in fact is rarely present when the events of the novel take place due to his injury that he sustains at the beginning of the novel.

Lizzie Carr, Anne Rogers and Kitty Gosse are apprehended by Jordan's men, beaten and interrogated, being forced to confess to being followers of witchcraft.

Lizzie Carr's family attacks Edmund Jordan's groom when he taunts them with a claim that their young daughter will be burnt alive, in the ensuing scuffle someone draws a blade and disfigures his face.

Walter releases Mistress Beldam's husband from the pillory early in exchange for him helping him plough and sow seeds in the fields as a final act of revenge against Jordan.

Realising that his revenge is timid and petty, Walter spends the night getting drunk on ale and eating fairy cap mushrooms he finds in the forest.

Afraid they will set fire to the manor not knowing he's inside, Walter hurries to leave only to notice blood near a chest in the attic, looking it over he finds Mr. Quill's body.

His friend has been stabbed to death but whether by Mistress Beldam or Edmund Jordan's men, Walter can't tell and admits he will never know.

Walter keeps only for himself a blank sheet of vellum he made for Mr. Quill, his packed bags and his injuries as he leaves the abandoned and ruined village, seeking out new pastures.

[14] On the May/June 2013 issue of Bookmarks, reported on reviews from several publications with ratings for the novel out of five: Cleveland Plain Dealer, Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Wall Street Journal gave it a four with a critical summary saying, "A primer on human nature and tradition, Harvest is a worthy volume in the body of Crace's fiction.