A hot-headed young warrior must decide whether to follow the longings of his own heart or rise to the challenge of leading his people. Will he be the greatest king the Cambrians have ever known, or will he fall prey to the darkness in his own soul? Such are the questions answered in Uther, the story of Uther Pendragon, cousin to the sorcerer Merlyn and father to Arthur, the future King of Britain. In his boyhood, Uther divides his time between two radically different worlds. Within the solid walls of Camulod, he enjoys the luxuries of a civilized community and trains in the Roman military style to realize his heroic dream—commanding Camulod's cavalry. But still he is pulled back to his father's people and the dark land of his birth, the harsh, primitive world of the Pendragon of Cambria. At the death of his father, King Uric, a new king must be elected from among the chiefs, and Uther must reconcile himself to the fate that awaits him.