Lucy sees the early passion of young Henry VIII and his first wife, the Spanish princess Katherine of Aragon, and follows Katherine through her emotional and physical struggles to give Henry the heir he so desperately needs to continue his own dynasty. 16years into their marriage, Katherine finally has a baby who lives - the only problem is that it's a girl. Henry's eye wanders to the ladies at court - first to Mary Boleyn and then to her sister, the infamous Anne. Lucy travels to Rome to read the love letters that Henry sent her, now kept at the Vatican. Not wishing to be laid aside as her sister had been, Anne Boleyn spurns all Henry's advances - unless he marries her. Henry needs the Pope to annul his marriage to Katherine but the diplomatic process to get this proves harder than he ever could have imagined.