In this detailed recreation of medieval England, Rob Cole leaves poor, disease-ridden London to make his way across the land by hustling, juggling, and peddling cures to the sick. Along the route of his travels, Rob discovers mystical ways of healing. A dream to become a physician begins to consume him, and ultimately compels him through a perilous, unheard-of journey to Persia, and to the Arab universities whose knowledge will shape his destiny.