The year is 1348, and the plague has arrived in England and is beginning to advance across the countryside. A peddler who sells religious relics or, as he calls it, “hope” is at the Midsummer Fair where he meets a young girl, Narigorm. She claims to be able to read the runes, and that she never lies or she would lose her gift. The news of the plague has not yet spread to those enjoying themselves at the fair, but when it does the peddler flees and as he heads north is joined by eight other travelers. Unknown to one another before their journey, they share one thing in common: they are all hiding behind lies that unravel as they try to be one step ahead of the plague and their secrets. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland follows these travelers as they journey through a world that is going mad with the looming threat of death as the plague approaches.