When eighteen-year-old Simon, the half-English, half-Norman son of a noble family living in Norman-occupied England in 1100, is offered the chance to accompany the king's friend Walter Tirel on a royal hunt, he is flattered by the honor. He hopes his association with Tirel will help him advance in a country where being English means being subject to the whims of the Norman upper class. But when the king is killed by Tirel's arrow during the course of the hunt, Simon must join Tirel in fleeing for their lives. Accident or murder? Based on real events, this heart-pounding tale from acclaimed author Michael Cadnum reconstructs one of the most fascinating mysteries of English history.