Hull, 1642. England is on the cusp of the bloodiest war in its history. Mathew Fletcher finishes his apprenticeship as a surgeon and plans to marry Elizabeth, the daughter of the local apothecary. Mathew's dreams of the future are shattered. Hull falls under siege by the Royalists, but with the aid of Captain Overton, a Parliamentarian Officer, Mathew's skills are put to use in a way he could never have envisage only weeks earlier. Is the cost of Captain Overton's aid more than Mathew is prepared to pay? The young surgeon, who gave an oath to preserve life, is caught up in a quest that will challenge the ethics of his profession and puts his life in jeopardy.