"As Norway moves into the fourteenth century, the kingdom continues to be racked by political turmoil and bloody family vendettas that serve as the backdrop for Sigrid Undset's masterful story... Olav settles in at his ancestral estate and soon brings Ingunn home as his wife. Both hope to put their troubles behind them, but the crimes and shameful secrets of the past have a long reach and tenacious hold. The consequences of sin, suspicion, and familial obligations may prove a greater threat to the pair's happiness than even their long years of separation"-- Page 4 of cover.