The book is a prose retelling of selected stories from Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene, which was originally published in the late 16th century. The Faerie Queene is an allegorical epic that celebrates virtues such as holiness, temperance, chastity, friendship, justice, and courtesy through the adventures of its knightly characters.In Church's retelling, the complex and richly symbolic tales of Spenser's epic are simplified and made more approachable for a younger audience. The stories follow various knights who serve the Faerie Queene, Gloriana, as they embark on quests that test their virtues.