Philip Madoc stars as Brother Cadfael in a series of BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatizations by Bert Coules that teem with twelfth-century suspense

The year is 1141 and civil war continues to rage. When the sheriff of Shropshire is taken prisoner, arrangements are made to exchange him for Elis, a young Welshman. But when the sheriff is brought to the abbey, he is murdered. Suspicion falls on Elis, who has fallen in love with the sheriff s daughter. With nothing but his honor to protect him, Elis appeals to Brother Cadfael for help. And Brother Cadfael gives it, not knowing that the truth will be a trial for his own soul.