In Dickson's fantastical alternate history, which began, books ago, as just an excellent joke, the black death has come to England. Jim--now Sir James--Eckert, the time-displaced weredragon, and his lady are trying to devise quarantine and nursing procedures to save their own people and anyone else who will listen. Meanwhile, Prince Edward, the Black Prince of our world's history, comes calling, accompanied by the fair maid of the title, and asking for Jim's help in a rapprochement with the king. The breach between father and son is kept alive partly by the prince's own brashness and partly by the intrigues of the lord chamberlain. In the middle of all this, word arrives that an army of goblins is using the plague as a weapon.