Gyrfalcons in the 14th century were rare and very valuable. The narrator is compelled to seek and capture them in the Arctic because royalty in Egypt holds his brother in ransom. His quest is imperiled by the One Hundred Years War, the bubonic plague, and the rival ruler of Damascus.

Nicholas of Lynn, an historic geographer, invites him on a voyage to the Arctic. Officials in Greenland try to stop the quest for falcons. The three-year quest leads them to spend a year with native people, the northernmost in the world, from whom they develop new perspectives on European society and civilization.