London, 1385. England's young king, Richard II, is in mortal peril. Songs are heard across London; catchy verses said to originate from an ancient book that prophesies the end of England's kings. Among the book's predictions is Richard's assassination. Only a few know that the lines derive from a burnable book, a seditious work that threatens the realm. To find the book, Geoffrey Chaucer turns to fellow poet John Gower, a professional trader in information with connections high and low.