Three strangers meet in the Elizabethan world of glory and treason. One is born to be its leader. One is born to save its soul. One is born to preserve its magic. The village is accusing Beatrice of witchcraft when she finds a wounded stranger collapsed on the road. She could never know that taking him in will change her life, nor that by joining the rich and handsome Earl of Southampton, Beatrice will help change Elizabethan England. Together with William Shakespeare, the three will shape the world's image of romantic love. Can the Earl resist Beatrice's independent strength? Can William resist her intoxicating, dark beauty?