1592. England and Spain are at war, yet there is peril at home too. John Shakespeare is summoned by Robert Cecil, the cold but deadly young statesman who dominates the last years of the Queen's long reign. His mission: to find vital papers now in the possession of the Earl of Essex. Essex is the Queen's favourite. But when Shakespeare infiltrates his dissolute world he discovers not only that the Queen herself is in danger, but that he and his family are also a target.