England, 1266 AD. Simon de Montfort is dead, butchered at the slaughter of Evesham, and England lies in ruins after years of civil war. Eager for revenge on his barons, King Henry III has disinherited all of de Montfort's surviving followers. The war is renewed as thousands of men are left with little choice but to snatch up their swords and fight to recover their stolen lands. Hugh Franklin, a humble mason's son from Southwark, is plunged into the eye of this storm when the Lord Edward, King Henry's son and heir, recruits him as a government agent. With the safety of his family at stake, Franklin must survive encounters with rebel knights, blood-hungry outlaws, and a beautiful Jewess as England crumbles in smoke and flame around him.