Fresh from the Battle of Hastings, William of Normandy has returned home in triumph, accompanied by the English nobles he cannot trust to be left behind.
But Waltheof of Huntingdon is not thinking of rebellion; from the moment he sees Judith, daughter of the king's formidable sister, he knows he has found his future wife. The attraction is mutual, but in mediaeval Europe marriage has little to do with love.
When William refuses to let the couple wed, Waltheof joins an uprising against him. William brutally crushes the rebellion but realises that it would be unwise to ignore Waltheof and his demands.
