Unable to inherit his father's title, Joscelin de Gael, the beloved bastard son of William Ironheart, is serving Henry II when he encounters the lady Linnet de Montsorrel. Neither suspects that within months they will be wed, but when her husband dies, Linnet is bestowed on Josceline as a reward for his loyalty. While Joscelin's half-brothers plot to overthrow their own father, revelations of past loves and family secrets threaten Linnet and Joscelin's relationship. A thrilling novel of bitter family conflict, turbulent with the sounds, scents and the violence of the twelfth century.