The three eldest sons of Henry II, with the encouragement of their mother, take part in rebellion and treachery against their father in an attempt to gain power, land, and money.

Justin de Quincy, working on behalf of Eleanor of Aquitaine to find her missing son Richard Lionheart and prevent Prince John from usurping the throne, is distracted when he becomes obsessed with the death of a beautiful, beloved young girl found murdered in a local churchyard.