It is 462AD, and the monk, Fra Paulos, is reminiscing on his long life. And what a life!
Sent many years earlier to find the Pope's brother, who had stayed in the land of the Britons after the last Romans had left, Paulos braves the sea journey only to find that the legacy left by the Romans is beginning to wane in the face of resurfacing druid beliefs. However, there are some Christians doing good work, and Paulos needs to stand firm against the hatred leveled towards all Romans.
Then he meets Aethelreda, Queen of the Cantii, and for Paulos, life is about to change forever.