As a child, Uhtred witnessed his father being killed and his Saxon army defeated by invading troops aboard Danish ships. That day, Danish warlord Earl Ragnar captured him and raised him in a Danish camp alongside fellow captive Brida, a sharp-tongued girl. Years later, Uhtred is a valiant warrior who is dealt another tragic bow when his home is deliberately set on fire, killing his surrogate family, including his fatherlike figure Ragnar. Now exiled -- alone except for Brida by his side -- he vows to avenge Ragnar's death and reclaim his homeland. But he must choose between his birth country and the people who raised him, walking a dangerous path between the two sides if is he going to help birth a new nation and ultimately recapture his ancestral land.
