In the year 1147, Queen Eleanor and King Louis traverse to Jerusalem for the Second Crusade. Along with her fancy bedding and wine, the wily young queen brings five lovely and talented women: her spies. Among them is the beautiful widow Isabella de Lacey, whose duty is to infiltrate Emperor Manuel’s inner circle and skillfully extract information. Will he aid the queen’s cousin or betray the alliance for one with the Turks? To find out, Isabella must woo the emperor’s man, Raoul, whose soul is as black as his eyes and whose passion both terrifies and captivates her.

In the winter of 1147, the French army makes its way through Asia Minor, with King Louis determined to recapture Edessa, a holy undertaking blessed by the Pope. Mysterious widow Catherine le Rochefort travels with Queen Eleanor and the French army toward Jerusalem, where Catherine hopes to gain absolution for her dark sins. Guarding her secrets as vigilantly as she protects the queen, Catherine has no place in her heart for the desires sparked by the handsome, perceptive Lord Payen de Montfer. Respected advisor to King Louis, Payen is ordered to infiltrate the queen’s private retinue and determine where Queen Eleanor’s loyalties lie, protecting the fragile peace between the crusading army and the Roman Empire. Distrustful of beautiful women, Payen is appalled at his own attraction to Catherine, the loveliest yet most secretive of the queen’s female guards. As the caravan winds through the dangerous mountains and steep valleys, skirmishing with Turks and traitorous Greeks, Catherine and Payen fight their growing attraction. Knowing Payen sees too much, Catherine struggles to keep her secrets hidden. If the two give in to their passion, Payen’s honor is at stake, while Catherine could lose her very soul.