The Pillars of the Earth1135, and civil war, famine, and religious strife abound. With his family on the verge of starvation, mason Tom Builder dreams of the day when he can use his talents to create and build a cathedral like no other. Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, is resourceful, but with money scarce, he knows that for his town to survive, it must find a way to thrive. So, he makes the decision to build within it the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.