It is 689 AD, and Cynethryth is returning from Rome, carrying her dead husband's child. She soon gives birth to a son, Aethelheard, whose parentage alone places him in danger. His mother has a tough choice to make and travels to Dorset, where the king is a cousin of her late husband. After the king adopts the boy, he grows up in the dangerous company of rebellious princes, all who wish to overthrow the mighty Ine, king of Wessex. How will mother and son face the physical and spiritual battles that await them