1593, Elizabethan England: In a turbulent time of wars, famine, and religious persecution, Christopher Marlowe struggles to balance his life as England's most popular playwright with his duties as a government spy.Suddenly, when he falls under suspicion of atheism, a capital crime, Marlowe fears his many powerful enemies have launched a conspiracy to have him executed...With only a few days to clear his name, he quickly enlists the aid of a young William Shakespeare – one of the only friends he can still trust. Together, they race through Marlowe's tangled life of crime, espionage, and noble connections to expose the conspiracy and save him from the hangman's noose.But will anything save a man as troubled as Marlowe?