Yusuf ibn Ayyub, nicknamed Salah ad-Din, Sultan of Syria and Egypt, was one of the greatest commanders and rulers of the Muslim world. But great people are not born. Before becoming the sultan and repelling the crusaders, Saladin came a long way. The initial book of the trilogy tells about his first steps: the first battle, the first position, the first friendship, the first love and the first betrayal. A skinny boy turns from being despised by his people into a strong and ambitious young man, and he turns into a man and a warrior, a threat to enemies on the battlefield and a wise, fair ruler. In battles with the crusaders and intrigues among fellow tribesmen, the character of a man who was destined to become a legend was forged...