1267 AD. Civil war continues to rage in England between the supporters of King Henry III and rebel barons known as the Disinherited. The memory of Simon de Montfort, butchered on the field of Evesham, is kept alive by his devoted followers. Disturbing rumours reach London of fresh trouble in distant Northumberland, where royal agents have vanished without trace. At the same time a band of discontended barons have formed an alliance against the crown and occupied Alnwick Castle, one of the strongest castles in the north.

Hugh Longsword, now a full-blown spy in royal pay, is sent north to investigate the rumours. Scarred by his recent experiences, he is also haunted by the memory of Esther, the beautiful Jewess of York. Along the way he encounters an assassin known only as the Wolf, a gang of fanatical Montfortian cultists, and a ruthless, sadistic clergyman who dreams of gaining power at all costs.