England. XII century. Empress Matilda fights for the throne with King Stephen. Waves of discord reach Shrewsbury, where an ex-sailor and crusader brother Cadfael lives in a quiet Benedictine abbey. He wants only one thing: to peacefully tend his garden, but life keeps throwing him tricky riddles.
“Leper of Saint-Gilles” is the fifth book in the series: preparations for an unequal marriage between an elderly baron and the young granddaughter of the legendary crusader. However, on the eve of the wedding, the groom is found dead. Suspicion falls on the girl’s lover. Brother Cadfael comes to the aid of the lovers.