Based on a novel by Ken Follett, this miniseries is set in England in the 1300s amid natural disasters, plague and war. All is well in the thriving town of Kingsbridge following the end of civil war. But that changes when, without warning, the town is under siege. Sir Roland, an ardent supporter of the queen, marches in and usurps nearby Shiring, condemning the reigning lord as a traitor and sentencing him to death. He is determined to hang every man on his list - and it's a lengthy one - of people who have supported the old king against the queen. Everyone else must pay dearly in taxes to support the queen's claim to the French crown, which marks the beginning of the Hundred Years' War.