During the plague year of 1358, Heron, a French student, decides to walk to the sea and then to seek passage to England. His journey symbolizes freedom, as he turns his back on both the ruling oligarchy and the peasant armies forming all over Europe. He travels through a chaotic wasteland, where armies clash for unknown reasons, where the barren countryside is plagued by robbers and warlords. He meets death, destruction, and famine before finally finding Claudia, the daughter of a medieval lord....
"The book is an idea that has finally found its time." –Publisher's Weekly «I think your book on Christopher Columbus is important. I'm more grateful for that book than any other book I have read in a couple of years.» –Kurt Vonnegut
