In 1120 A.D., the heir to the English throne dies when the royal ship burns at sea. The King calls on his subjects to accept his daughter Maud as ruler until her son comes of age, but the church backs his nephew Stephen. Squire Bartholomew pledges his loyalty to Maud and is thrown in jail, leaving his daughter Aliena and son Richard alone. Maud raises an army in France and attacks Stephen. Meanwhile, Tom Builder is destined to construct a cathedral in Kingsbridge. His ally is Prior Philip, who learns to be a good politician as he watches over his flock and his cathedral. Tom also has the headaches of refereeing between his son Alfred and headstrong Jack, one of his better stone carvers. Against this backdrop of war and monumental construction, are all the elements common to epic storytelling: heroes and villains, trust and treachery, fate and the struggle against it.