In 1853, Archduchess Sophie of Bavaria decided it was time for her beloved son, Franz Joseph, to take a wife and start producing heirs. Rather than trust such an important union to Fate—or worse, Romance—she sent for her sister Ludovika's docile older daughter, Helene, to come to the court for a once-over and a quick proposal of marriage. Accompanying Helene and their mother on the journey was the 15-year-old Elisabeth. Free-spirited and beautiful, is it any wonder that the Emperor of Austria took just one look and realized he had found his soul mate. This one-act drama intercuts between two conversations that would ultimately change the course of history—the volatile exchange between Ludovika and Sophie (the latter who abhors losing) and Helene and Elisabeth (the latter who dreads winning).