A dramatic find at Stonehenge and another, quieter discovery in the Bodleian Library set in motion a riveting scholarly detective story and a romance, unfolding across a rich historical landscape evoked by the secret places and half-forgotten legends of the British countryside. Archaeologist Donald Gladstone knows there is no solid evidence that King Arthur ever existed. And yet medieval tales of this legendary warrior must have found their inspiration somewhere, and Donald is determined to discover their true source. A chance encounter with the beguiling Julia Llewellyn, a gifted linguist working at the Oxford English Dictionary, sets them both on the trail of elusive clues embedded in an old Welsh battle poem. Their quest will intersect in unforeseen ways with their own troubled lives and will lead them at last to a deeper understanding of the origins of Arthur.