King Henry II is in the winter of his life, and he holds a family reunion where he hopes to name his successor. The reunion includes his three sons: Richard, the handsome warrior, later hailed as ‘The Lionheart’; John, the spoilt child who is Henry’s favourite; and Geoffrey, the middle child, clever but bitter. Henry’s estranged queen Eleanor has leave from prison to witness the occasion. Beautiful, passionate and commanding, Eleanor plots against Henry yet remains intensely in love with him. Also present is Henry’s mistress Alais, and her brother Philip, King of France, who is pursuing his own intrigues with the Plantagenet family.
The fate of England is at stake as its ruling family scheme, betray, deceive and conspire to get what they want. Sibling rivalry, violent jealousy and a desperate struggle for power and love are played out in an international political arena.
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