At not quite fifteen, Stefan's father finally let him board the longship, Sja Vinna, to take part in his first Viking raid. Yet, the battle was not at all what he expected, and he soon found himself alone and stranded in Scotland.

Thirteen-year-old Kannak's situation was just as grave. Her father deserted them and the only way to survive, she decided, was to take a husband over her mother's objections. Instead, she found herself hiding a hated Viking, and that wasn't the only problem - someone was plotting to kill the clan's beloved laird.