Raised in the woodlands on King Edmund's estate and educated with members of the royal household, an orphaned girl, Lee, is thrown into a world of political intrigue. Caught between the overzealous Chief Thegn and two Scandinavian traders who might know the whereabouts of Gisla, her missing aunt, Lee is arrested and taken to Dummoc Minister. There, the corrupt clergy, allied to the rival kingdom of Mercia, are exposed as being a dangerous brood of vipers.

Lee's determination to find and free her aunt intensifies, and she is drawn into danger from Edmund's rivals and Viking raiding bands. When Edmund returns from his lengthy diplomatic discussions with the Saxon kingdoms, he finds his friend changed and distant. Who is the enigmatic Scandinavian Lee befriended, despite Chief Thegn's warning? Trustworthy trader or a Viking?