The novel centers around the young protagonist, Geoffrey, who is a clerk in Oxford. Geoffrey is drawn into the political and social upheavals of the Barons' War, a series of conflicts between the English barons and King Henry III, which ultimately led to significant constitutional changes in England.Geoffrey's adventures begin when he finds himself entangled in the struggles between the barons, led by Simon de Montfort, and the royal forces. His journey takes him from the scholarly environment of Oxford to the battlefields and castles where the fate of England is being decided.