Could England's 'Virgin Queen', Elizabeth I, have borne her lover, Robin Dudley, Earl of Leicester, a son? Most historians dismiss such tales as idle gossip but others speak of a young man named Arthur Dudley...

Set against the background of the Spanish Armada's invasion of England in 1588, two parallel tales unfold. One is Queen Elizabeth's story: her lifelong and passionate affair with Leicester; her politically dangerous pregnancy and elaborate scheme to conceal it from the world. The other is the story of Arthur, their illegitimate son, born alive but secretly swapped at birth. Young Arthur grows up totally unaware of his true identity. His story collides with that of his mother when, from his adoptive father's deathbed, he hears the amazing truth of his parentage. Religion, sex and the sixteenth century's most fascinating personalities are artfully woven here into a rich tapestry of love, betrayal and the quest for power.