Bermondsey Priory, 1114. A young chaplain succumbs to the temptations of the flesh - and suffers a gruesome punishment. From that moment, the monastery is cursed, and over the next 500 years, murder and treachery abound within its hallowed walls.

A beautiful young bride found dead two days before her wedding. A ghostly figure that warns of impending doom. A daring plot to depose King Edward II. Mad monks and errant priests . . . even the poet Chaucer finds himself drawn into the dark deeds and violent death which pervade this unhappy place.