Brother John, a monk of Beeleigh Abbey in Essex; Rob, a shepherd of troubadour stock; Simon Renger, a ruthless knight; 'The Little One' his servant; even De Refham, her guardian - all these men are bewitched, in one way or another, by the beauty and innocence of young Ivetta. This is a tale of spiritual longing and of love, set in rural England in the early fourteenth century, and along the banks of the River Chelmer, by which Brother John sits to meditate, and down which Ivetta floats on a log at night, in a desperate attempt to escape captivity and death. This historical romance, originally published in 1927, is based on historical locations and people in and around Little Baddow in Essex, England. It reflects the interests of its author, Jesse Berridge, an Anglican clergyman, in local history, in mediaeval spirituality, in the Essex countryside, and in telling a good yarn