Caedmon Woolgar, the illegitimate son of a Norman Earl, Ram de Montbryce. A warrior who has always believed he is the son of a dead Saxon hero of the Battle of Hastings, Caedmon's discovery of his illegitimacy threatens to destroy him and his marriage to Agneta Kirkthwaite. He seeks redemption by going off on the First Crusade.
Agneta harbours hatreds of her own over the massacre of her family and the destruction of her home—a crime Caedmon unwittingly participated in. Can love help them overcome hatred and forge a powerful dynasty of their own?