The year is 885 and England is at peace, divided between the Danish kindom to the north and the Saxon kingdom of Wessex in the south. Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a Northumbrian lord, warrior by instinct, Viking by nature, appears to have settled down. He has land, a wife, two children and a duty given to him by Alfred to hold the frontier on the Thames. But trouble stirs, a dead man has risen and new Vikings have arrived to occupy London. Their dream is to conquer Wessex, and to do it they need Uhtred's help. Alfred has other ideas. He wants Uhtred to expel the Viking raiders from London. It is a dangerous time and Uhtred must decide how much his oath binds him to the king. Other storm clouds are gathering. Æthelflæd - Alfred's daughter - is now married, but a cruel twist of fate means that her very existence becomes a threat to Alfred's kingdom. It is Uhtred, half Saxon, half Dane, whose uncertain loyalties must now decide England's whole future.