Hugh de Montbryce, is haunted by a deep fear, rooted in his experiences at the Battle of Hastings, that violence arouses him. He avoids women, but is drawn into the life of a Saxon noblewoman, Lady Devona Melton, a victim of abuse at the hands of her Norman husband. Can Hugh overcome his demons and the political and religious implications of abducting the wife of a Norman nobleman? The rake of the family, Antoine is faced with the dilemma of what to do with Lady Sybilla Sancerre, the pregnant widow of an enemy he killed in battle. He is supposed to send her for execution as the wife of a traitor, but finds himself driven to protect her and the deformed child she bears. William the Conqueror's anger at both brothers could endanger all that the Montbryce family holds dear.