In 1578, Lettice Knollys angered Queen Elizabeth I by marrying her favourite, Robert Dudley. Though she would not marry him herself, since the death of Leicester's wife in 1560 Elizabeth was fiercely jealous of any woman who showed an interest in her favourite. When the secret marriage was revealed, the furious Queen permanently banished Lettice from court: she was to suffer the consequences of Elizabeth's fury for the rest of her life. Two decades later Queen Elizabeth had a new favourite: Lettice's son, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. His success was cut short when he led a rebellion against the Queen, and was executed for high treason in 1601. This is Lettice's story-- one which affected the course of seven monarchs and evoked the era in all its drama and intrigue.