In the year of our Lord 1036, the world is full of evil spirits, witchcraft and miracles-an underlayer of reality but just as real...

Welcome to a malevolent time, when Normans, Lombards, Saracen pirates, and Byzantines struggle for dominance and trample on the people of the earth. Amidst the chaos, and nestled in the mountains of Southern Italy, Basilian monk Father Nicholaos has built an orphanage and made his peace with God. In shielding his orphans from the harrowing world that has ushered in the Crusades, Father Nicholaos has restored his life and theirs. His love for his orphans keeps the demons from stirring within--demons he thought he had left behind in Panormos, the ancient city of Palermo, ruled by Muslims and the place of his birth. But these demons, shared only by his prodigy pupil Iohannes, still linger as one takes to the sword and the other struggles in his spiritual quest. Will they prevail? Find out in this groundbreaking saga of love, faith, and the endurance of the human spirit.