Robin of Loxley murdered and the band of outlaws in Sherwood scattered, Earl's son Robert of Huntingdon is chosen by forest god Herne the Hunter to continue Robin's work and lead the band of outlaws in Sherwood. Huntingdon, though appalled by the way the lords of the land treat the lower classes, is however not prepared to give up his titles, money and privileges in order to live in poverty, and moreover as an outcast, in Sherwood Forest. He swiftly changes his mind, however, when a pale and broken-hearted Lady Marion, whose rich father bought her pardon with the King...
Robert of Huntingdon gathers the outlaws back together one by one to rescue Marion out of Owen of Clun' clutches. Tuck he finds in Sherwood forest, Little John and Much are shepherds near Hathersage and Scarlett a drunk in Lichfield. Unknown to them, the final member of their band, Nasir, is already at Clun Castle, fighting for his life as a gladiator.
Rumours are spreading through Nottingham that Robin Hood is back from the dead with a vengeance and that the scattered band of outlaws are once again operating in Sherwood. Suspecting that the Lady Marion might try to communicate with her old friends if they are back in Sherwood, The Sheriff decides to have her home of Leaford Grange watched, thinking that she might help him discover how this miraculous recovery of her dead husband might have taken place.
Tuck saves a young woman from being attacked in the forest and invites her back to camp. In the middle of the night, the woman wakes Robert and explains that she is the daughter of his godfather, Agrivane, and that the two of them, alone, must go to him at once at Carleon Castle. At Carleon, the dying Agrivane explains that he is leaving Robert a great inheritance but in order to get it, he first has to defend it. As they speak, Agrivane claims, a group of robbers and villains are approaching the castle, wanting to steal the treasure it keeps.
The King has had enough of Robert de Rainault and hires a new Sheriff for the area, Philip Mark, who arrives in Nottingham together with his masked henchman Sarak. After having driven Robert de Rainault out of Nottingham, the new Sheriff announces that a group of random villagers from the Nottingham area will be killed off every day until Robin Hood decides to give himself up.
Will and Much run into a group of lepers travelling through the forest and Will is instantly convinced that he is contaminated and doomed to a horrible and painful death. The outlaws save an old lady from being killed by robbers and, the lady being badly hurt, accompany her to the abbey to which she was travelling. Convinced, however, that she will die before they reach the abbey, the lady asks Friar Tuck to hear her confession. Tuck is in the end shocked by her admission, but also bound by the seal of confession.
Much falls into a forester's trap and is badly wounded. Trying to find a village with a physician, the outlaws seem to get lost, finally ending up at Cromm Cruac, a small village none of them has ever heard of before. At Cromm Cruac nothing at first seems out of the ordinary. Soon, however, it dawns on them that there are no children in the village, everything seems "too sweet", and that Much - too quickly recovered to be normal - appears to have been brain-washed. When Will in addition run into his long-dead wife Elena, the outlaws conclude that something is ...
King John is sick of constantly having the Nottingham tax money stolen by Robin Hood and his gang. Realising that Robin Hood thrives because the common people trust and support him, The King sets out to tarnish Robin Hood's reputation, and thus make the people turn against him. The King hires Roger de Carnac, also known as "The Carnage", who will set together a gang of "outlaw impersonators". Dressed as Robin Hood and his gang, they will kill, burn, and rob their way trough the villages of Nottingham.
Much is caught by Gisburne while on a visit to Nottingham and placed in the Nottingham Castle dungeons, waiting to be hanged. The legendary outlaw Adam Bell returns to Nottingham, causing mayhem as he kidnaps The Sheriff's young nephew Martin. Realising that there is only one man who can outwit Adam Bell, The Sheriff, against all his principles, decides to make a deal with Robin Hood - "Your half-wit for my brat."
The King decides to divorce his queen and marry the 11-year-old Isabella of Angeloueme, making the outraged, overthrown Queen Hadwisa plotting with her relatives to make The King lose the throne altogether. The outlaws save the life of Arthur, who arrives in Sherwood chased by a gang of soldiers. Arthur claims to be a poor steward falsely accused of stealing from his master. However, with his fine manners and knowledge of Latin and poetry, the outlaws soon conclude that Arthur is not what he claims to be.
John decides to marry his long-time girlfriend Meg and leave the band of outlaws. Their wedding plans are halted, however, when Lord Edgar, Robert's uncle, arrives in Sherwood Forest with the news that Robert's father has been accused of treason by the King. An anonymous informer has reportedly overheard the Earl hiring a witch in order to put an evil spell on the King. The King recently having been ill, and firmly believing that his illness was due to witchcraft, the Earl has been imprisoned. Robert must now clear his father's name, before it is too late.
The Sheriff is ordered by The King to collect grain from the villages of Nottingham, as more provisions are needed for the troops in France. Knowing that the villagers will not survive the winter without their hard-earned grain, the outlaws secretly steal the grain back during the night, causing The Sheriff a lot of embarrassment when the King's men come to collect it in the morning. In desperation, The Sheriff blames the whole fiasco on Gisburne, resulting in Gisburne running away and a price being put on his head. Seeking sanctuary, Gisburne flees to Grimstone Abbey...
Gisburne has joined the Sons of Fenris and manages to capture Robin and his men as well as the Sheriff of Notingham. With Robin in his power, Gulnar completes his creature using dark magic and sends it on his way. Safe in Halstead Abbey, Marion foresees a tragedy at the Ring of the Nine Maidens and for Robin even victory may come with great loss.