For Hubert and Edmund the Crusades have reached a violent conclusion, but the return to England will prove to be an even greater adventure. The two young squires, together with the knights they serve, sail from the Holy Land following the siege of Acre, a slaughter that has shattered their faith in a holy war.

Challenged to a joust in the Greek islands, braving shipwreck, and discovering Rome torn by warring families, they take on a secret mission as they voyage home to an England beset with royal intrigue.