Fourteen-year-old Lady Catherine Thibeault leads a privileged and charmed life. She is heir in her own right to the title and demesne of Dove Castle. Whether picking daisies for the May Day festivities with her best friend Master Robert de Valiens and her beloved cat, Frere, or racing through the countryside on her Arabian stallion, Chimere, Cat's life is perfect. Little does she know that her peaceful happy existence is about to come to an end with the unexpected arrival of her betrothed, knight extraordinaire Sir Geoffrey de Valiens. Catherine has never bowed to convention and has never given her betrothal much thought. Life at Dove Castle with her father and her companion, Mistress Drucilla, is idyllic and she has no wish to change it.

Sir Geoffrey not only reminds her of the dreaded realities of marriage and the eventual necessity of leaving Dove Castle but he also introduces the quagmire of politics that is the reality of the first decade of the Fourteenth Century during the reign of King Edward II of England. With war raging in Scotland and discontent rampant between England and France, evil elements emerge who will threaten the lives of not only Catherine but of everyone whom she loves.

The deadliest of Catherine's enemies is her own cousin, Giles Thibeault, who upon learning that Dove Castle is no longer entailed swears vengeance on not only Catherine but on her family as well. If he cannot inherit Dove Castle then no one will.