Robin, age 10, is the son of Sir John de Bureford and his wife, the Lady Maud. While his parents are away on crown business during a plague pandemic, Robin is stricken by an illness that paralyzes his legs. He’s rescued by Brother Luke of St. Mark’s Church and taken to the monastery to recuperate and rebuild his life. Under the patient guidance of Luke and the other monks, Robin learns new skills, builds himself a set of crutches, learns to read and write, and begins to see life with a disability not as a misfortune but as a challenge.

He travels with Brother Luke and John-go-in-the-Wynd to the castle town of Lindsay, where he assumes the early duties of a knight in training. There, he learns new skills, including archery and military strategy. When Welsh invaders lay siege to the town, Robin sneaks away, calls for reinforcements, and helps save the town. In the process, he transcends his disability and grows into a young man of heroism and great ability.

Robin learns that every difficulty he faces is like a wall. Every such wall contains a door through which he can walk and, thereby, transcend the problem.