The Lion of the North begins when Malcolm Graeme rescues and leads Captain Hume and Colonel Munro and their men to safety. They were trying to get to Nigel Graeme, Malcolm’s uncle. They were in Scotland to gather 3,000 to 4,000 men for a Scottish army, to join Sweden in fighting against Germany. The Germans were persecuting the Protestants in Germany. Nigel joins the fight and brings his nephew, Malcolm, along with him.

     These same four men boarded a ship and were shipwrecked during a storm. Out of the wreckage they built a raft. A nearby castle sent them supplies. There was a small battle at the castle but, they won. After another battle, the men of higher ranks realized how brave and calm Malcolm was while fighting.
     Malcolm survived another battle in New Brandenburg but, all his troops were killed. A kind family disguised him as a servant. While disguised he heard the enemy’s secret battle plans, the Imperialists. He knew the King of Sweden needed to know these plans so he decided to make his way back to camp which was halfway across the country.
     On the way back to Sweden Malcolm encountered the enemy. They thought he was a young German boy looking for work. Instead of letting him go they took him to their camp and made him their cook. He escaped that same night and made his way towards Glaglu, which supported Scotland and Sweden. The village of Glaglu was attacked, but the villagers won with Malcolm’s help. Malcolm then made his way to his outfit and reported to Colonel Munro what he had learned. Colonel Munro immediately took Malcolm to see the King, Gustavus. Gustavus gave Malcolm a promotion because of his modesty, prudence, and forethought. 
     Malcolm came down with a fever and went to a quiet village to recover. While there he got word that the village of Mansfield would be attacked, so he gathered men and went to Mansfield. The count of Mansfield accepted Malcolm’s help and introduced Malcolm to the countess and his daughter. The enemy came and told the count to surrender. He didn’t and Malcolm and his men slaughtered them all. The count and countess gave him gifts to say thank you. Malcolm and his men met up with Colonel Munro and he was pleased. In another battle, the Saxons joined up with the Swedish and Scottish armies and together they beat the Imperialists.
     During another battle, while Malcolm was bandaging a friend who had been wounded, he got shot in the leg. Thankfully he recovered. King Gustavus wanted to capture the city of Oppenheim, but it was on the other side of the Rhine River. Malcolm found a boat, took some men and sailed across the Rhine at midnight. They defeated the Spaniards who were supposed to have been guarding the shoreline. Because of this victory, the King was able to take the castle and city of Oppenheim. 
     Malcolm was given some time off from fighting. He spent his time with the Count and Countess of Mansfield. While investigating a fire a peasant woman struck him on the head with a mallet. Malcolm escaped, freed four other Scottish men, stole food, and was forced to hide in a church tower because the peasants wanted to burn them. The next day Malcolm looked out the window and saw men and women with farming equipment to attack them with. The peasants tried to get in the church tower, but nothing they tried worked. Their next plan was to blow up the door, but before they could the Swedish armies came and rescued them.
     In between battles, Malcolm learned the trade of clockmaking. At the Siege of Nuremberg, King Gustavus fell into a trap. Half of his army fell because of this. Colonel Munro was severely wounded during this battle. Malcolm was not injured in this battle and was still trying to help the King. Malcolm, the King, and an entire army went to help the city of Saxony, Germany because it was under attack. During this battle, King Gustavus was killed! The king was shot in the shoulder, then the back, and finally the head. Both sides lost around 9,000 men.
     The next morning, Malcolm returned to the battlefield and was shot and left in the cold all day and all night.  Some soldier friends found him and carried him to the surgeon. He pulled the bullet out of Malcolm but told the soldiers that he wouldn’t survive. Miraculously Malcolm did survive! The Count and Countess of Mansfield came to the camp to visit Malcolm and to offer to take him to their castle for the spring to recuperate. He had two happy months in Mansfield with his friends. He then rejoined the army.
     After Malcolm left, the Imperialists took the city and castle of Mansfield. They took the count, countess, and their daughter as prisoners. The countess sent word to Malcolm that they needed help. Malcolm left immediately to rescue them. When he found the countess, she asked him what his plans were to rescue her daughter, Thelka. Malcolm told the count and countess his plan, and they agreed. Thelka dressed up as a boy while Malcolm used his skills of clockmaking to change all of the clocks in the castle. He did this so the enemy guard wouldn’t know what time to take Thelka out for fresh air. He tricked two people, bought a wagon, covered Thelka with straw and sacks, and drove away. He was stopped by enemy soldiers and asked if he knew anything about the escape of Thelka. He lied, and said, “No”, then successfully escaped with Thelka. He went to another village, rented two rooms, and got a job working with clocks.
     Wallenstein, a high ranking German officer, hired Malcolm to fix the clocks in his home. Wallenstein was impressed with Malcolm’s work and invites him to live in his home with him. He did not know that this clockmaker was Malcolm Graeme from the Scottish army. While there, Malcolm overheard a plot to overthrow Wallenstein. Malcolm revealed his true identity to Wallenstein and told him about the plot made by his own men. He thanked Malcolm and allowed him to take Thelka and get help.  Malcolm found Colonel Munro and told him all that had happened. He left Thelka with Munro and went to find the Swedish Chancellor, Oxenstein. Oxenstein told Malcolm to return to Wallenstein and tell him that they were sending aid. Sadly, help did not arrive in time and Wallenstein was killed.
     During Wallenstein’s attack, Malcolm was also captured. He managed to escape and made his way towards the Scottish army and told them about Wallenstein’s murder. He then went with his troops to fight against the Spanish. This was the final battle. The Scottish and Swedish army won and the Protestants of Germany were safe. After Malcolm recovered from the final battle, he and Thelka got married and lived a long and happy life together.