It's 1570, and the Reformation burns through Europe and into the kingdom of Troixden. The new Queen Annelore, full of love and hope for her unexpected role, finds that even the heir growing inside her will not quiet the looming discontent, and her own wild courage and wit just make things worse. Surrounded by courtiers who will stop at nothing to bring about their own vision of the future, no matter who stands in their way, there is no safe place to turn other than King William's arms. William, still haunted by his brother's bloody reign, strives to make peace in his marriage and in his realm, but ultimately must face the hardest decision for any ruler: whether to shed the blood of his countrymen or break with his country's closest held religious beliefs - a decision that will have repercussions neither king or queen could have imagined.