But nothing is as it once was. A storm takes him to a foreign coast and villagers find him. The mistress of the settlement and her shieldmaidens do not accept him as a friend and let him feel it. In secret, he forges a plan to escape, but suddenly everything is different. The entire settlement and even he himself is in danger. Will he use the opportunity and flee, or have the gods determined otherwise.

"The Shieldmaid" is the first volume of a three part Viking story. Volume 2 is "The Journey of Björn" a prequel to volume 1 and the conclusion is volume 3 "The End of an Era". The stories are self-contained and are based on the historical events of the time.