To avoid a marriage arranged by her father, Penelope flees her village, cuts her hair and takes a job herding hogs. Attacked by one of the pigs, she nearly drowns in a hog wallow before being rescued by a passing knight. Mistaken for a boy by this handsome yet inexperienced young man, she is hired by him to be his guide on a quest to find the Dragon Lord. She soon finds she needs to continue as a boy as Emperor Aethelred wants her head, Lord Grim wants her in his bed, and Lady Dazzle wants her dead. As her problem mount, she has to choose between her protecting herself, accepting her legacy and helping her knight, who she is fast becoming very attached to.