Thorgrim Night Wolf and his men, hunkered down behind their ad hoc defenses and facing off against the powerful army of thelwulf, king of Wessex, must find some means to continue their voyage home. But thelwulf, too, is trapped, unable to set sail on his pilgrimage to Rome while the powerful fleet of Northmen remains at his doorstep. It's only when the enigmatic Felix proposes a solution, acceptable to both sides, that the impasse is broken...