The first millenium is drawing to a close. As the old Viking gods are fading before the one god of Christianity, those aboard the Norse knarr Mimir have their own reasons for braving the dangerous North Atlantic to travel to Vinland, on the tip of modern-day Newfoundland. Thorfinn, the merchant ship's owner, has invested heavily in this venture, hoping to establish a permanent presence in the new world and more than recoup his expenses through trade with the native inhabitants. Adam of Bremen, the Christian monk whose presence Thorfinn is suffering at the behest of his king, is seeking a breakaway monastic order, the Culdees, thought to possess long-lost religious relics that have the potential to bestow incredible power and eternal life. And Thorfinn's wife Gudrid is returning to the land where she buried her first two husbands. Unbeknownst to Thorfinn, she has arranged to include on this expedition the small band of explorers who were present at the discovery of a secret cavern twenty years ago-a cavern containing a city of gold. Their goal: to again locate and open the cavern, and return with the treasure to Iceland. One obstacle stands in their way-Ari Marrson, the unscrupulous, tyrannical leader of the Culdees.