some feel the lady newly risen from centuries in thrall stands between humankind and evil some feel she is evil itself the hardbitten men of the black company take their pay and do what they must burying their doubts with their dead until the prophesy the white rose has been reborn somewhere to embody good once more there must be a way for the black company to find her so begins one of the greatest fantasy epics of our ageglen cooks chronicles of the black companylibrarian note an alternate cover for this edition can be found here set in the rural midlands of england the rainbow 1915 revolves around three generations of the brangwens a strong vigorous family deeply involved with the land when tom brangwen marries a polish widowlydia lensky and adopts her daughter anna as his own he is unprepared for the conflict and passion that erupts between them all are seeking individual fulfilment but it is ursula annas spirited daughter who in search for selfknowledge rejects the conventional role of womanhood