When the English capture Calais, the war with France is suspended by a truce. But Thomas of Hookton still has to pursue the grail and confront his deadliest enemy: his cousin, Guy Vexille.
Thomas and his men become raiders, but when he releases a girl condemned to burn as a heretic, his campaign is attacked by the church and Thomas himself becomes the hunted.
Thomas goes to the valley of Astarac, where he believes that the grail may still be concealed, but there are many others apart from Thomas who are searching for it. The prize will guarantee victory in battle and the games of hide and seek are deadly.
When Thomas finally succeeds in meeting his enemy, fate takes an unexpected hand. What had been a landscape of castles, monasteries, vineyards and villages, becomes death’s kingdom and the need for the grail, as a sign of God’s favour, is more urgent than ever.
