AD 1270: On a remote East Anglian coast stands Tyndal Priory. Twenty-one-year-old Prioress Eleanor of Wynethorpe has just been appointed prioress by King Henry III over the elected choice of the priory itself. Alas, the day after the arrival of the new prioress, a brutally murdered monk is found in the cloister gardens. Now Eleanor must not only struggle to gain the respect of her terrified and resentful flock but also bring a murderer to justice.