1536. England is in turmoil. Henry VIII has declared himself Head of the Church of England, uprooting the order the country has followed for centuries. Far from the intrigues of the capital, in the Lincolnshire town of Louth, Anys Barre has more immediate fears. Struggling to raise her fatherless child in a hostile world, she believes the fate of her soul lies in the hands of the new vicar, Thomas Kendall, a man who despises her. Close by at Louth Park Abbey, devoted monk William Morland watches with growing dread as the king's quarrel with Rome turns into open war on the monasteries. When Louth's abbey is seized, monks and townspeople alike are powerless to prevent its fall. Yet the blow forges unexpected alliances, and when Kendall appears to defy the king's actions openly during a service, it throws Anys and William into the centre of a growing storm. Dismay and fury soon harden into rebellion. As Louth becomes the spark that threatens to set the North ablaze, Anys and William are drawn into an unlikely allegiance as each plays their own unique part in the rising.
