The story begins in 12th-century France. Revered knight Godfrey returns home from fighting in the first Crusades (there were eight) to recruit new troops and make good with his illegitimate son Balian, only to find his lad mourning the tragic deaths of his wife and child. When Balian's father dies in battle trying to help his troubled boy out of the country, Balian is thrust into a world of knights, battles in the name of good, and battles in the name of God (which aren't always the same). Suddenly, he must step up to be the leader his father was and expects him to be.