1527: At seventeen, Thomasin Marwood is plunged into court society when a husband is found for her elder sister, Cecilia.
But the mood at court is tense. It is split between the conservative Catholics, loyal to Queen Catherine of Aragon, and the fashionable Francophiles, enthralled by King Henry's mistress, Anne Boleyn.
While her parents sympathize with the old queen and her faith, Thomasin cannot help but be drawn to the glamour and vitality Anne represents.
And her head is soon turned by the tall, dark and handsome Rafe Danvers who seems equally entranced with her.
But as a ward of Anne's father, Sir Thomas Boleyn, Rafe represents the "other" side, of which Thomasin's parents are unlikely to approve. And they have already lined up their own candidate for Thomasin's hand, Sir Giles Waterson, who comes from wealth and good standing.
Thomasin finds herself torn between duty and the desire Rafe has aroused in her. But when she is drawn into a dark plot concerning Queen Catherine, she realizes the court is far more dangerous than it appears . . .
Which path, and with whom, will she choose?