1327 - Berkeley Castle, England - a small boy witnesses the sight of two horses exiting from the castle and a terrible scream of great pain is heard. Twenty years later horsemen are approaching the house of Monsignor Vecchi, Bishop of Pavia, who is dictating a letter concerning the spread of the Black Death which is now affecting the town of Pavia. His servant Fredo brings in a visitor, Manuel de Fieschi, who is obsessed with his quest to discover the truth of the 'death' of Edward II and asks for Vecchi's help with his quest. Vecchi agrees to help by taking him to the farm of Serena Riccoboni. Vecchi takes one route up the mountain and instructs Fredo to take Fieschi up by a more difficult route. Impatient to get on with his search, Fieschi ignores Fredo's advice as to the safer path and tries to cross a flooded ford over a river. He loses his footing and is drowning when Fredo plunges into the river in order to save him...