In 1370 Owen Archer is preparing to leave Wales after completing work for John of Gaunt when Archbishop Thoresby orders him back to York. Supporters of a Welsh rebel leader see Owen's military skill and ancestry as valuable to their cause, forcing him to confront loyalties he thought he had settled.
In York, Lucie Wilton faces damaging allegations against her apothecary and upsetting news that draws her to her father's manor outside the city. Owen's delayed return and Lucie's reliance on a persuasive stranger expose both of them to separate schemes, while the choice between service in England and rebellion in Wales threatens their household as seriously as the crimes they are trying to uncover.