This lyrical novel in verse tells the tale of fiery, sixteen-year-old Elaine of Ascolatwho will one day be known, in poems and paintings, as The Lady of Shalott. As the daughter of a soldier in Arthur's army, Elaine has only one other girl companion: Arthur's sister, the mysterious, magical Morgan. But Elaine hesitates to tell Morgan her deepest secret: that she is falling for the dashing Lancelot, Arthur's secondin- command. But when yet another girlthe beautiful, cold Gwyniverejoins their ranks, and catches Lancelot's eye, Elaine knows she must do something about her growing feelings of jealousy and rivalry. But as the army advances toward the land that will become Camelot, can Elaine, and the world she has always known, survive the birth of a kingdom?