As heir to the throne, Lord Edward causes his parents King Henry III and Queen Eleanor endless grief in his desire to be his own man. It leads him into the orbit of royal troublemakers who seek to straightjacket the monarchy. He returns to the fold, but his catastrophic exit from the Battle of Lewes sinks his family's fortunes even further.

Held prisoner by a revolutionary regime, Edward seeks redemption through these Confessions. The mistakes of his captors allow the Longshanks of future legend to emerge in these pages. He kills Simon de Montfort, subdues his followers, and embarks on an ill-fated crusade, all of which is recounted in the Chronicle.