Set in Yorkshire in 1382, a time of unease and turmoil following the failed Peasants Revolt and the killing of Wat Tyler and John Ball. Hildegard is a rich widow who has taken the veil in the Cistercian priory of Swyne and is seeking a suitable grange for her new institution. Hoping to obtain a gift of such premises, she goes to Castle Hutton. Roger, the lord of Hutton, and his fifth wife Melisen make her welcome, but there are numerous family problems. It is Christmas and the revelries are disrupted by various incidents involving a death. Part 1/5.