The Chivalry series follows William Gold, who runs away from London to follow the Black Prince, from the killing fields of France, through life as a routier and criminal, and to redemption with the Knights of Saint John, further disillusion and an eventual career as a professional soldier and knight. Rich in the details of life in the High Middle Ages, the series also deals with modern issues about the role of violence in society, rules of conflict and war, and the price that people pay for using violence.

After a hard campaign without pay for the Pope and as a pawn in the games between Venice and Genoa, William Gold had considered retiring from military life. But letters intimating the truce between France and England, and the potential uprising of the state of Florence draw him back into the fray. An offer of captaincy from his old commander, and the chance of reuniting with the beautiful noblewoman he had travelled with on his last campaign, bring him back into action.