The Norse settlers in the Sudreys have enjoyed good times for a few years. But change is in the air. In a dramatic shipwreck, the king, the queen, the bishops and the flower of the nobility all lose their lives. The island kingdom finds itself all at once without government or leaders.

Young Torleif is thrown into a conflict he is ill-prepared for. His father’s overweening ambition thrusts the clan into a bloody feud. Torleif needs to dig deep to find the courage to face his enemies sword in hand, but he has no weapon against his father’s hatred.