It is the time of Richard the Lion Heart, the time of the Crusades. Donal, an Irish chieftain, and Robert, his Norman lord, travel to the Holy Land as their fathers did before them. But before Donal Leaves, he gives his wife Eilish a token - half of a penny broken by the tilecutter. Should she receive the other half, she will know he is dead. As Donal and Robert become entwined in the dangerous intrigues of the Knights Templar in the Holy Land, Eilish must also deal with intrigues at home.