G.A. Henty novels are highly researched as well as drawn from his first-hand experiences of people, places, and events. No portion of English history is more crowded with great events than the Hundred Years' War from 1337-1453 under King Edward III and his son, the "Black Prince." The Battles of Cressy and Poitiers, the destruction of the Spanish fleet, the plague of the Black Death, and the Jacquerie rising are vividly related in this historically accurate adventure novel. Walter Somers, although of good family, begins life as a London apprentice. But, after countless adventures and perils, by valor and good conduct, becomes a squire, and, at last, the trusted friend of the Black Prince.