1588. The Spanish Armada has been defeated, but Elizabeth Tudor is griefstricken. The Earl of Leicester has died and Elizabeth feels entirely alone. But at her court there is a young man who will chase her nightmares away and, she hopes, will be her adoring slave. Enter Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex. But Elizabeth is no longer young and doesn't command the affection she once did. Robert has no intention of becoming Elizabeth's...