Francis Crawford of Lymond secretkt searches the Ottoman empire for his son, while on a mission to the Turkish Sultan. His son is a pawn in a political game that includes treason, enslavement, and murder.
In 1547 Francis Crawford of Lymond returns to his native Scotland to defend it from English invasion and to redeem his reputation even at the risk of his life.
Francis Crawford of Lymond, once an accused traitor, now a valued agent of Scottish diplomacy, is sent to France to protect young Queen Mary Stuart from assassinators that extend from her native country to the court of France.
In 1551 Francis Crawford Lymond is sent to Malta to help the Knights Hospitallers defend the island against the Turks. The warrior-scholar soon discovers that the greatest threat to the Knights lies within their own ranks.
