When a Prussian smuggler is imprisoned in Morpeth Gaol in the winter of 1703, why does Queen Annes powerful right-hand man, The Earl of Nottingham, take such a keen interest? At the end of the turbulent 17th century, the ties that bind men are fraying. There is a seething layer of religious intolerance, community suspicion and political intrigue. Hermann Mohll is a master sword maker from Solingen in Prussia who risks his life trying to save his family and neighbours from poverty. Caught smuggling swords, he finds himself in facing charges of High Treason. He is at the mercy of the corrupt keeper, Robert Tipstaff. A man set on
