England is suffering under the final twist in the tragedy of the Wars of the Roses. Richard III has usurped his nephew's crown while over the English Channel ; Henry Tudor patiently waits his time. Life for the English people is insecure and dangerous especially for a young girl like Eloise Fleming, daughter of a master weaver. When she falls in love with Dom, son of the lord of the manor, she knows she has no chance of happiness with him. Marriages were arranged by the parents, and love was no part of the bargain. Parted forcibly, they each suffer a loveless marriage bound by the conventions of their society. Against a background of violent change their love story winds like a golden thread through the tapestry of English medieval life.