King Henry VIII is determined to divorce Queen Katherine and marry Anne Boleyn, whom he expects to produce a male heir. Upon learning that many around him wish to have Anne killed and restore Katherine to the throne, Henry has them executed for treason - and an uneasy nation can only watch as its unstable monarch embarks upon a collision course with the future.

With the bloody Protestant Reformation racing across Europe, King Henry VIII is more determined than ever to divorce Queen Katherine and marry Anne Boleyn, from whom he desires a son to rule the growing British Empire. But plots abound to kill his mistress, restore his beleaguered wife to the throne, deny his authority over the English church, and even find a new future queen. Loyalties are called into question as many of those close to Henry are executed for their betrayal in an epic battle that pits him against Pope Paul III in Rome. Questions arise over who is his rightful heir, and Henry's wary subjects can only watch as their volatile ruler propels them along a deadly collision course with an uncertain future.