November of the Year of Our Lord 1145 and the harsh dispute between King Stephen and Empress Maud has one last chance for reconciliation. As both sides weigh whether further conflict is wise, they agree that a council must be organized. There are hopes that the meeting will finally resolve the issue of the war captives, several of whom were captured after the disgraceful defection of Philip, the youngest son of the Earl of Gloucester, to the detriment of the king's cause.

Brother Canfield, carefree in his herb garden at the Abbey of Saints Peter and Paul, seeks permission to attend this critical meeting. He has learned that among the imprisoned is Oliver of Brittany, a young man who considers loyalty far more important than Canfield's monastic vows. As Canfield observes, "before I became a brother, I was a father." And his determination to rush to his son's aid becomes the catalyst for a complex investigation of great significance.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]