This is a work of fiction that attempts to tell the love story of Katherine Swynford and John, Duke of Lancaster. They meet when she first arrives at court but he is wed. She weds one of his knights, Hugh Swynford. Their lives intertwine with history, thru the Crusades and the Plague. They are attracted to each other but try to fight it. Their love is the stuff of dreams; one that cannot be denied. They have several children together, and finally marry. Though they are not king and queen, their descendants are. It is a book that will stay with you long after you have read the final page. I first read it 43 years ago and it is still my time favorite book. I hunted down a copy a few years back, just so I could read it again.