Robin Hood, wanted for the fatal poisoning of Lord William Randal, secretly visits Nottingham to find out what the Sheriff's wife knows about the charge. When he is apprehended and thrown into the dungeons of Nottingham Castle, his friends are spurred to action.

Alan a Dale, whom Lord William had befriended, vows to find the murderer. Alan and his wife Ellen interrogate Lord William's family and his fiance, but their search leads them to suspect one of William's servants, missing since the day of the murder. However, the motives and family secrets may go much deeper: Alan and Ellen learn of a rumored ancient Crusaders' treasure supposed to be in the family's possession, which may have been the motive of an earlier murder.

On another front, Countess Lydia is rebuffed when she tries to intervene with Sir Guy of Gisbourne to give Robin a fair and public trial, and with Maid Marion, takes the dangerous road to London to see the king, pursued by Gisbourne's guards. Meanwhile, Robin's men arrive in Nottingham in disguise, watching for an opportunity to free him, while Robin himself must decide whether to trust Gisbourne's enigmatic clerk Friar Bungay, who offers freedom-at a price.