In 1142, all England lies in the iron grip of civil war. In the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, too, begins a chain of events that proves no less momentous than the raging strife outside.
Following the demise of one Richard Ludel, his ten-year-old son, also Richard and a pupil at the Abbey becomes the new lord of Eaton, Dionisia, the boy's formidable grandmother, wishes him to make a marriage of convenience - but he defies her. Meanwhile a
hermit, Cuthred, has taken up residence in Eyton Forest with a young companion, Hyacinth, who befriends Richard. The holy man's arrival heralds a series of mishaps for the monks, some of whom fear divine intervention...
Then the cruel Drogo Bosiet erupts onto the scene, Richard disappears and a corpse is found in the forest. Brother Cadfael must leave his peaceful herb garden and put his vast store of experience to good use as he tracks down a ruthless murderer.