Angliya. Seredina XVI veka. Vremya vosshestviya na prestol velikoy korolevy Elizavety I, prinyavshey Angliyu nischey i isterzannoy beskonechnymi dinasticheskimi raspryami i prevrativshey ee v pervuyu derzhavu Evropy. No poka do blistatelnogo elizavetinskogo «zolotogo veka» esche daleko, a molodoy monarhine-protestantke protivostoyat pochti vse evropeyskie strany - osobenno Frantsiya, zhelayuschaya posadit na angliyskiy tron sobstvennuyu stavlennitsu - katolichku Mariyu Styuart. Takova nelegkaya epoha, v kotoroy dovelos zhit yunoshe i devushke iz severnogo goroda Kingsbridzha, slavnogo svoim legendarnym soborom, - goroda, nyne razdelennogo i raskolotogo besposchadnoy vrazhdoy mezhdu protestantami i katolikami. I eta vrazhda, vozmozhno, navsegda razluchit Mardzheri Fitsdzherald, chya semya podderzhivaet Mariyu Styuart slovom i delom, i Neda Uillarda, kotorogo sudba privodit «na taynuyu sluzhbu ee velichestva», - v ryady legendarnyh shpionov korolevy Elizavety. . . Masshtabnaya istoricheskaya saga Kena Folletta prodolzhaetsya!
