"In 1276, the last Crusaders, led by Edward Gawain, an English knight, sail east from the Holy Land to elude the Saracens. When a great storm sets them off course, they drift to Nippon, a land hitherto unknown to Westerners. There, they learn that the Mongol Empire, under the rule of Kublai Khan, had attacked Japan two years earlier and is planning to invade again. Transported to Kamakura, the small, Kyoto-like capital of the shogunate, Edward and company meet the young regent, Hojo Tokimune, who struggles to create a samurai-centered government and stop the Mongol invasion. During their five years in Kamakura, the Crusaders clash with the samurai over language, culture, religion, and the moral code of the Japanese warrior. In time, they begin to understand Japan and develop a respect for its people, even taking lovers and starting families. But just as trust and friendship grow between Edward and Tokimune, news comes that the massive Mongol army is about to attack the port city of Hakata. Tokimune asks Edward to command the outnumbered Japanese forces in a war that will decide the future of the nation. Ted Takashima's epic story challenges the historical record of how Japan miraculously repels the invaders"--