In the long-awaited return to Avalon, the author of The Mists of Avalon and her collaborator, bestselling author Diana L. Paxson, fuse myth, magic, and romance in the spectacular tale of one woman's role in the making of history and spirit....
When a British princess falls in love with a Roman officer destined for imperial greatness, their forbidden desire exacts an unexpected price: banishment from Avalon. Journeying outside the enchanted isle, Helena grows from maiden to mother to wisewoman, experiencing both joy—with the birth of her child—and loss-when politics forces her lover to choose between the Empire and her.
Then Helena's son, Constantine, becomes Emperor, and her position as Empress-Mother propels her to prominence at a crucial turning point in Western history. Seeking a way to bridge the pagan world of the Goddess and the new Christian Empire, Helena embarks on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to find the truth that transcends both the old religion and the new....