A young man pursued by a lynching mob seeks sanctuary at the Benedictine monastery in Shrewsbury. He is accused of robbery and murder, but Cadfael senses his innocence and sets out to prove it.

In the sunny month of August, A.D. 1141, Brother Cadfael is presented with a double mystery set against the larger drama enacted by King Stephen and his arch-enemy, cousin, and rival claimant to the throne, the Empress Maud. In the bloody struggle for the crown, Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester and papal legate, is drawn into a contretemps that will result in a town laid waste, a nunnery burned to the ground, churches razed, and the priory of...

"A collection of three stories of 12th-century monastic life including a Christmas story, a tale of robbery and attempted murder, and a narrative of Brother Cadfael's early years."--