The Swordsmith is set in the darkest of the Dark Ages, during the early settlement of England by the Anglo Saxons. It is a time of danger and violence where a boy like Osgar leaves childhood early and is thrust into the battle between Christian and Pagan, Angles and Britons. When his village is raided by Cadrod of Calchfynedd, Osgar sees his father killed and his mother and twin brother taken. His life takes on one purpose; to avenge his father and to rescue his family. Osgar proves his worth in battle and at the anvil, becoming a blacksmith apprentice to his uncle. While his mother and brother live the pain and humiliation of slavery, he learns the craft of the swordsmith. Eventually, after skirmishes and minor battles, he joins Cuthwulf's army to fight Cadrod, in a battle to determine the survival of the Anglo Saxons and the future of Britain. There are five kings and a saint in this story. They all truly lived at this time. Osgar, his brother and mother meet all of them.