At last, James, King of Scots, the second of that name, is approaching manhood, intending to fulfill his duty to the realm. Controlled by regents determined to hang onto power, he struggles to gain the strength to oust them. When the leader of the mighty Douglas clan moves to betray Scotland to the English, James must put aside his youth and defend the crown. Facing war with the Douglases, the threat is not only to his life and that of his young queen but to the very survival of the kingdom.