Marguerite, eldest daughter of the Count of Provence, had married a king of France - and now her sister Eleanor is determined to make just as grand a match. A good and generous husband but a weak king, he rules a nation that still remembers his cruel and foolish father, King John.
At the age of thirty-two, Richard the Lionheart has finally succeeded Henry II to the English throne. Leaving England to begin his crusade, Richards kingdom is left in the hands of his brother, John, who casts covetous eyes on the crown, and his sister, Joanna, who is willing to defy even a king.
