Back in France, the siege of Calais gives Thomas de Hookton the opportunity to excel in combat and to have a group of men under his command. In front of them, he enters French lands, and by chance comes into contact with a young woman who is about to be condemned to the stake for being a heretic, and using the authority that has been conferred upon him saves her at the last moment. Parallel to this plot, the search for the Grail continues to unfold in this next installment of the series.