Novel about Vikings in York in 11th century... Spurred on by his mother, Ragnhild, Sigurd Einarsson's exiled upbringing in Norway is dominated by a consuming hatred for King Ethelred - who butchered his father and siblings - and a determination that never again will a descendant of Ethelred wear the English crown. A powerful ally is King Cnut, but Sigurd does not share Cnut's desire for peace and cannot abandon his Viking ways. On a raid into Ireland he captures the enigmatic Una and, besotted, plans to marry her. But Ragnhild intervenes with her own choice of bride, and so begets a tragedy that will alter Sigurd's life forever.... And when a son of the hated Elthelred is appointed King, Sigurd, grown old in battle, must finally decide whether he is Englishman or Viking...