It's 878 AD, and King Alfred of West Saxony is the last Saxon hold-out against the Vikings. There is an uneasy peace, but Guthrum the Dane breaks the treaty and plans a surprise attack on Alfred's army. Two young Saxons, hostages of the Danes, escape to make the journey to warn King Alfred of the treachery. Wolf packs snap at their heels and the people of the countryside turn a deaf ear to their pleas, but they arrive in time. Alfred retreats to the marshy Athelney and from there plans his final battle with Guthrum.

This is a memorable and exciting interpretation of a period when King Alfred was laying the foundation for a unified England, in which he would foster freedom, humanity, love of learning--indeed, civilization itself.