Penelope Devereux and her brother, the Earl of Essex, are drawn into favor at Queen Elizabeth's court. Penelope falls in love with Philip Sidney but is married off to a man who loathes her. She strikes a deal with her husband: after she gives birth to two sons, she will be free to live as she chooses, with whom she chooses. Robert Cecil, loyal to Elizabeth, has his eye on Penelope and her brother. The Earl of Essex has enemies, and Penelope must draw on all her political savvy to save her brother from his own ballooning ambition and Cecil's trap, while daring to plan for an event it is treason even to think about.