When a mysterious stranger turns up at Marsden Manor asking for help, young Will Marsden and his grandfather jump at the opportunity for adventure. Riding north to Scotland, Grandfather tells Will how his own father fought for Henry VIII at the battle of Flodden Field. Then, as now, there were fierce skirmishes on the Borders between the English and the Scots Reivers - cattle thieves. But neither of them realises what danger the handsome stranger is leading them into. Luckily, Meg, the quick-witted serving girl, steps in. Parallel stories of murder and intrigue build to a vivid climax in Terry Deary's exciting tale of Tudor adventure.