In the year 1171, the confrontation between Archbishop Thomas Becket and King Henry has come to a bloody end. Abandoned and crippled, young Hugh takes refuge at Glastonbury Abbey under the care of a kind abbot.

Legends of Arthur and of the Holy Grail, old forgotten passages, a mad hermit and a mysterious manuscript lead Hugh and his friend Dickon through adventure and danger into the faith and peace as much a part of the time as the political upheaval.

A Newbery Honor winner.