The novel begins in the fictional city of Kingsbridge, England in the year 1327. Four children — Caris, Gwenda, Merthin, and Ralph — go into the woods on All Hallows Day. Gwenda brings her three-legged dog, Hop, whom Ralph shoots with Merthin's home-made bow, foreshadowing Ralph's later cruel behaviour. The children witness two men killed in the forest by Sir Thomas Langley, aided by Ralph. The children then flee, with the exception of Merthin. Sir Thomas asks him to help bury a letter and tells Merthin to dig up the letter when he dies, after this Sir Thomas flees to Kingsbridge and seeks refuge in the monastery where he joins the Order of Saint Benedict, becoming a monk.
Ten years later Caris and Merthin are in love. Gwenda is sold for a cow by her father to a man who intends to prostitute her at an outlaws' camp. She kills one of the outlaws while he is raping her, and escapes. She is followed by her buyer, but is able to drown him when the town bridge collapses, a tragedy that kills many, including Anthony, the Prior of Kingsbridge monastery. The monastery's Sacrist, Godwyn, who was also the nephew of Anthony, eventually outwits the possible candidates and wins the Prior's position in an overwhelming victory. Godwyn claims to be a reformer, but turns out to be as conservative as his uncle was.
Godwyn quickly begins to clash with the town on a number of issues, including funding and building a new bridge and allowing the townspeople to full wool for a growing fabric industry. Caris, who becomes the de facto Alderman for her father, is a particular problem. Despite her being his cousin, Godwyn charges Caris with witchcraft hoping to have her executed to get her out of the way. To escape execution, Caris agrees to join the Kingsbridge nunnery. Her impending marriage to Merthin now made impossible, he leaves Kingsbridge for Florence to pursue his building career.
Several years later Florence is ravaged by the plague, or "la moria grande". After recovering from the plague, a newly widowed Merthin returns to Kingsbridge with his daughter Laura (Lolla). There he finds Caris unwilling to renounce her vows, and the two go through a sporadic liaison.
Meanwhile, upon returning from the French Wars, Ralph is given a minor Lordship as a reward for saving the Prince of Wales at the battle of Crecy. As part of this award he was married to the fourteen-year-old Matilda (called Tilly) who bears him a child. After Earl William dies from the plague along with all his male heirs this finally gives Ralph a chance to become Earl but to do this he must marry Williams widow Lady Phillipa whom he had long desired. He eventually achieves this by murdering his wife. After this he marries Phillipa making him Earl of Shiring, finally realising his dream of becoming an Earl. However Philippa spurns him, and eventually leaves for the Kingsbridge nunnery, where she has a relationship with Merthin and conceives his child. Afraid of Ralph's wrath at finding out she is pregnant with Merthin's child, Philippa seduces Ralph to make him believe the child is his. As a result Merthin and Phillipa cannot continue their liaison.
Gwenda, the girl from the forest, has meanwhile overcome much adversity to marry Wulfric, a handsome village boy. His lands are denied to him after his family dies on the bridge and his beautiful wife-to-be, Annet, leaves him. Gwenda tries to win Wulfric back his lands by having sex with Ralph, who refuses to acquiesce as he bears a grudge against Wulfric. Her first son, Sam, is conceived through this liaison.
Because of labor shortages resulting from the plague, Wulfric regains his father's land. Godwyn dies of plague, and Gwenda's brother Philemon becomes his successor and even tries to become Bishop, but his ambition is ruined after Sir Thomas dies. Caris renounces her vows, after finally being able to run her own hospital, and marries Merthin. After ten years of hardship, the people of Kingsbridge are granted a borough charter, freeing them from the lordship of the priory, and Merthin becomes alderman. Merthin keeps his promise and digs up the letter which reveals that the deposed king Edward II had secretly survived and had gone overseas. Merthin uses this to make Philemon leave Kingsbridge forever. After Ralph learns he is Sam's father he blackmails Gwenda into sleeping with him after Sam walks in on this happening there is struggle in which Sam and Gwenda kill Ralph. Davey, Gwenda and Wulfric's child, marries Amabel, the daughter of Annet. Merthin succeeds in building a spire which makes Kingsbridge cathedral the tallest building in England.
This was a really good book, but I have to tell you that there aren't any characters in the book that you will fall in love with. This book made me more angry at the turn of every page, but that is one of the reason that I love reading Ken Follett. You can become emotionally involved in his books, any thing that you could possibly want in a novel Ken gives you. He is a brilliant writer. If you have never read a Follett novel I suggest that you pick one up and read it. I promise that you will not be disapointed,
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