On the run again from the lord Robert - the man who killed her mother and is quite prepared to kill Janna to keep his secret - Janna takes refuge at Wiltune Abbey. There she desperately seeks to learn to read, so she can uncover the truth about her unknown father. But first there are mysteries to be solved.
Who is the newcomer asking questions about Janna? Who stabbed the lord Hugh at St Edith's fair? Was the knife meant for Janna, or will Hugh's childhood friendship with the beautiful Emma have disastrous consequences for them all? With the civil war between King Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Matilda, approaching the abbey's doorstep, is Janna's quest finished before it is begun?