Chelsea, 1547. At ten years old, Lady Jane Grey arrives at Old Manor to begin her education with the Dowager Queen Katherine: widow of the late Henry VIII. Jane is a bright, scholarly girl, but destined to reach early maturity and be manipulated and groomed by over-ambitious men. After being forced to marry Guildford Dudley - son of the Duke of Northumberland - the country is divided and Jane struggles to come to terms with her situation. Meanwhile, her progress is watched from the filth-laden streets of London by William Hope: a shoemaker who is becoming ever more infatuated with her.