Robert de Bruce, scion of one of the most noble houses in Scotland, is propelled into rebellion by the "Hammer of the Scots." Edward Plantagenet, king of England, who uses Scotland's inherently unstable clan system to seize power and claim the disunited country as his own.

Robert de Bruce, having taken up the crown of Scotland to free his nation from English rule, finds that his throne will be but a figment of his imagination unless he brings the anti-Bruce Magnates and bishops under his peace. Half of Scotland wants him dead, and most of the rest don't care. He and his small, rag-tag army are alone, under death warrants, and ex-communicated by the Pope. How can they survive the long cold winter?

Using guerilla warfare, Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, has been successfully keeping England's army, the most powerful in the European world, from taking over all of Scotland. In June 1313 Robert returns to the mainland after his success in capturing the Isle of Man only to discover that his brother, Lord Edward Bruce, has made a bargain with the Scottish warden of English-held Castle Stirling: if the English do not relieve the castle by mid-summer 1314, the warden will hand Stirling over to the Scots. Robert is furious Now, King Edward has reason to invade Scotland in force. Elated, the...