This eloquent novel explores Queen Elizabeth's life as a child and teenager, opening just before Henry VIII dies and ending when she is nearly 20. Growing up in the shadow of her mother, Anne Boleyn, young Princess Elizabeth has become adept at dodging the constant political games and royal whims that ensure her situation is never secure. When her distant father, tyrannical King Henry VIII, dies, the future brightens for Elizabeth. She is taken in by Henry's last wife, Katherine Parr, whose new husband is Tom Seymour, the uncle of Elizabeth's brother, the new king. Seymour, however, is playing a risky game. Marrying a widowed queen is one thing, flirting with the king's daughter and second in line to the throne is another. As the adolescent Elizabeth finds herself dangerously attracted to him, tragedy looms ahead for her and her kingdom, and she is forced to face her future alone.