As Rome crumbles and unrest sweeps Europe, fate throws together two people from very different worlds.
At her villa in Britannia, Serena, a bookish noble, must claim her ancestral legacy to lead her community against a looming bandit threat. Yet her toughest foe isn't the enemy at the gates, but her learned beliefs about a woman's place.
When pirates attack his home in Lower Saxony, Eadgar swears an oath to his dying chief. Torn between his urge for revenge and fulfilling his promise, he journeys into a strange world burdened by his aversion to foreigners.
Eadgar's quest carries him to Serena's lands, where they cross swords-a clash that will change them both. With outlaws at the border, they need to unite Romans, Britons, and settlers to preserve their thriving enclave as duty and desire collide.