Following David Donachie's earlier Conquest trilogy, the de Hautville warrior dynasty shows no sign of falling back into obscurity. This is the first volume in the powerful Crusades trilogy.

Eleventh-century Italy: The domination of the Normans, the most feared warriors in Christendom, is causing trouble. At their head is Robert de Hauteville, the "Guiscard," who has colonised much of Italy and now commands the triple dukedom of the extended Norman family. But Robert has made many enemies, including the ever-powerful papacy in Rome.

As Robert successfully suppresses a Lombard revolt, his firstborn, Bohemund - now seventeen and blessed with the strength, height, and military prowess of his father - has come to fight in his army. Already recognised as a formidable warrior, Bohemund seeks to assert his natural right as the heir of his father's dukedom. But with Robert's second son, Borsa, legally entitled to inherit, his quest is not without conflict. A battle between the sons is inevitable, and blood ties will count for nothing.