Sir Godric de Villehard, a Norman knight, finds himself in distant, exotic Cathay after a failed crusade. Hired to protect the city of Jahadur, he must rally its decadent defenders against an invasion by Genghis Khan's Mongol horde. Amid brutal battles and shifting loyalties, Godric's ferocious courage earns him the respect of friend and foe alike—and a chance to carve out his own kingdom in the East.