All Things Are Lights

Roland is a troubadour whose songs carry his devotion to two women across the castles of medieval France. The first is Diane, a celibate who belongs to the Cathars, a religious movement the Inquisition is hunting. The second is Nicolette, a woman of fierce spirit who is married to Amalric, a cruel count who scorns the code of knightly honor and despises the Cathar heretics. When the Inquisition turns on Diane, Roland's king orders him to take up arms in a holy war. The crusade carries Roland, Nicolette and Amalric to the burning deserts of Egypt, where romantic and political rivalries play out amid great armies in battle. Throughout the fighting, the Knights Templar keep a quiet vigil over a hidden brotherhood and a growing body of secret knowledge.