Originally published in hardcover in the United States by G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, in 1961.

"In 1547 Scotland is clinging to independence after a humiliating English invasion. Paradoxically, the country's freedom may depend on a man who stands accused of treason. He is Francis Crawford of Lymond, a scapegoat nobleman of crooked felicities and murderous talents, with a scholar's erudition and a wicked tongue. Clawing his way back into a country that has outlawed him, and to a family that has turned its back on him, Lymond will prove that he has both the will and the cunning to clear his name and defend his people-- no matter the cost." --,(Source of summary not specified)