At a tournament in England, John Ryder, a young American chess grand master, meets the wealthy and mysterious Andrew Hall. When Hall asks for Ryder's help, he reluctantly agrees and is inexorably drawn into an ancient and deadly web of intrigue. At his estate deep in the Cotswolds, Hall claims to be a present-day Merlin and reveals that Ryder is a direct descendant of the legendary King Arthur and the holder of a mental legacy called The Gift. Ryder is skeptical until he discovers Merlin's cavern and the incredible treasures it conceals. He is introduced to four ruthless men who will train him in the art of war. He also meets Hall's enchanting daughter Katherine. However, any possible relationship between them is forbidden. It had happened once, long ago, and almost destroyed the House of Arthur. Ryder's adventures take him to Germany, the bombing of a U.S. military installation, the kidnapping of a colleague's children, then to Florida, and finally back to England for a final brutal confrontation with a power greater than his own.