Charismatic, cunning, and utterly ruthless, Richard, Duke of Gloucester is the very embodiment of lethal ambition as he maneuvers and murders his way to the throne of England.
When Helen cures the King of France of an ailment that has confounded every other doctor, he grants her lifetime wish: the marital hand of the aristocratic courtier Bertram. However, Bertram proves a reluctant husband and immediately heads off to war, leaving Helen with a seemingly impossible riddle to solve in order to seal their marriage.