<p>Elizabeth I is on the throne and Protestantism is sweeping the land, threatening the position of the Catholic Morlands. John, the heir, rides north to the untamed Borderlands to wed the daughter of cattle lord Black Will Percy. But he finds he must first prove himself through blood and battle. John's gentle sister Lettice is given in marriage to the ruthless Scottish baron, Lord Robert Hamilton, and in the treacherous court of Mary, Queen of Scots, she learns the fierce lessons of survival. Through birth and death, love and hatred, the Morlands fight to maintain their place amongst England's aristocracy.</p>