On a pilgrimage, Freydis and her party are savagely attacked. Harald and Leif seek a route through the marshes near London as Edmund is crowned king.

Leif proposes an audacious assault on London, one that Emma and Godwin fear their brash and headstrong boy-king, Edmund, will be too reckless to defeat.

Freydis returns to Kattegat and joins a sacred order. Canute solidifies his power in England. Kåre revisits the holy site of a childhood trauma.

Olaf makes a pact with Kåre as Kattegat prepares for its defense. In Canute's absence, his father, Sweyn Forkbeard, shares England's throne with Edmund.

Olaf and Kåre gather their forces to invade Kattegat. Palace intrigue over control of England's throne results in an unexpected turn of events.