When Sir Guy promised Will's dying mother he'd look after her son, he couldn't imagine where that oath would lead. So he takes Will on as a man-at-arms for the worst job in England—guarding the deposed king. Will's fondness for making friends in the tavern and for the occasional company of barmaids runs contrary to Guy's personal code of honor-devotion to God and king. But the young man is a competent soldier and well-liked, so Guy settles for the occasional, public admonishment to keep the others from going down what he considers Will's path of dissolution.

Until the night Will does the unforgivable, leaving Guy's honor and his career as a knight in tatters. And leading him to swear another oath to seek retribution from Will for the harm and havoc he created. Harm and havoc that touch not just Sir Guy, but bishops, barons, earls, and even the young king Edward III. An oath that will lead Guy from the Stews of London to Ireland and France, and eventually to the early skirmishes of the looming Hundred Years War.

As Guy descends into obsession with the restoration of his honor, Will has finally found a worthy purpose in life and pours every ounce of his cunning and courage into it. Set against the mystery of the death of Edward II of England, this is a tale of power struggles writ both large and small, finding redemption, and the true meaning of honor.