In 1547, Scotland has been humiliated by an English invasion and is threatened by machinations elsewhere beyond its borders, but is still free. Paradoxically, her freedom may depend on a man who stands accused of treason. He is Francis Crawford of Lymond, a scapegrace nobleman of crooked felicities and murderous talents, possessed of a scholar's erudition and a tongue as wicked as a rapier. In The Game of Kings, this extraordinary antihero returns to the country that has outlawed him- to redeem his reputation even at the risk of his life.