England 1216: dissatisfaction with King John has bred a civil war that threatens the social order.
Unwanted and unloved, rebellious Miriel Weaver is forced into a convent by her violent stepfather. Her plan to escape from the harsh life of a novice nun crystallises with the arrival of a recuperating soldier of fortune, Nicholas de Caen. Miriel sees in his pride and self-sufficiency a kindred spirit and, once he is well enough to leave, a way out.
But the two part on bad terms that are ultimately to blight both their lives. When they meet again by chance, they agree to call a truce - but the truce becomes friendship, the friendship a dangerous passion . . .
'Elizabeth Chadwick knows exactly how to write convincing and compelling historical fiction' Marina Oliver
'The best writer of mediaeval fiction currently around' Historical Novel Review