The novel is broken into thirteen chapters, with the first five being the development of King Arthur's background, while the remaining are nearly stand-alone stories covering the exploits of different knights. He is shown as the son of
Uther Pendragon, begot upon Lady
Igraine with the assistance of
Merlin. Merlin did not feature in Sutcliff's previous Arthurian stories of
Sword at Sunset, but is shown here as being the driving force behind the ascension of King Arthur and his court. Merlin is depicted as being descended from the
Lordly Ones, or the 'Little Dark People', as Sutcliff commonly refers to the possible
original inhabitants of Great Britain. He orchestrates Arthur's upbringing under
Sir Ector, alongside his foster brother
Sir Kay. Arthur's identity as ruler of Britain is revealed when he pulls the
Sword from the Stone, but he later receives
Excalibur, a different sword, from the
Lady of the Lake. The rest of the novel's chapters cover many of the other
classic Arthurian characters and tales, including: the origins of
Lancelot of the Lake, as well as his encounters with
Elaine;
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight;
Beaumains, the Kitchen Knight;
Tristan and Iseult, in a retelling nearly identical to Sutcliff's earlier
novel of the same name, albeit a much shorter version;
Geraint and Enid;
Gawain and the Loathly Lady; and finally the arrival of
Percival at Arthur's court, which is connected by Merlin's previous prophecies to presage the beginning of the Round Table's downfall. The book stops here, to be continued in
The Light Beyond the Forest and
The Road to Camlann. ==References==