Whizzing through the air, a fatal black arrow strikes down one of Sir Daniel Brackley's best men. A menacing message warns that Sir Daniel and two trusted followers will meet the same fate. Dick Shelton, Sir Daniel's young ward, is stunned. Who, he wonders, are the villains responsible for this deadly prophecy?

But as the armies of Lancaster and York clash in the War of the Roses, Dick discovers that it is Brackley and his forces — not the rebel army — who are the real villains. Soon Dick finds himself leading the men of the Black Arrow on spy missions and in fierce, hand-to-hand combat as he struggles to reclaim his birthright and his lady love, Joanna, from the treacherous Sir Daniel.