Britain 871 AD. Young Norse prince Steinar arrives in England with a complement of 500 reserve warriors to combat a Saxon uprising that is crushing the occupying forces led by his father, King Bagsecg. Arriving at his father's camp, Steiner attends a family meeting with his father, his older brother Harold, and their younger half brother Vali, who is disliked by everyone but Steinar for being half Saxon. Absent is their older brother, Hakan, who has not been seen for over a decade due to a bitter animosity between him and their father, the cause unknown to Steinar.