"October, 1338. A great war has begun, one that will define Europe for a century. King’s Messenger Simon Merrivale returns to England in disgrace, his life barely intact, after a bid to create a pro-English state in Savoy goes disastrously wrong. With the battle lines drawn, a new and overwhelming threat emerges. King Edward III has assembled an uneasy alliance of European powers to enforce his claim to the throne of France. But corruption is rife both at home and abroad, emptying the king’s war chest. Lack of money could cripple everything that has been built."