It is 997 CE, and England faces attacks from the Welsh and the Vikings. Life is hard, and those with power wield it harshly, bending justice according to their will - often in conflict with the king. Into this uncertain world three people come to the fore: a young boatbuilder, a Norman noblewoman, who follows her husband to a new land and a capable monk at Shiring Abbey. An epic tale of ambition and rivalry, death and birth, and love and hate. A masterful prequel to 'The Pillars of the Earth'.