September, 1340. Grief-stricken by the death of his young wife, lawyer Ralph de Courcy takes a spiritual journey that leads him to St Francis. Now known as Friar Valerian, Ralph's fame for preaching and healing grows as he travels throughout England. But then he meets Cecily Wynstede, the daughter of an impoverished knight, and there is an instant and mutual attraction. Cecily has dreamed of a knight who resembles Valerian, and Valerian sees his patron saint, St. Cecilia, in her. But Cecily's parents have other plans for their daughter.