A near fatal fall brings Brother Haluin to a deathbed confession heard by Brother Cadfael. A journey of expiation with Cadfael leads to many shocking discoveries and murder.

Little peace is to be found in England in the year 1142 as civil war continues to rage. The effects of the violence reach even into the cloistered world of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul. Richard Ludel, the father of one of the abbey's students, has recently died of wounds received in battle. His ten-year-old son, also called Richard, has now become Lord of Eaton. Richard's formidable grandmother, Dionysia, wants the boy released...