The year is 1422. England is reeling from the sudden wartime death of its beloved king. His underage heir, the diffident, unprepared Henry VI, is only a figurehead, and, all around him, the kingdom is crumbling. 

The escalating personal feud between Henry's guardians, the hot-tempered, blindly idealistic Duke of Gloucester and the ambitious, underhanded Cardinal of Winchester, is threatening to destabilize the country. Meanwhile, the ongoing war in France is turning catastrophic, thanks to the sinister machinations of a self-proclaimed prophetess. Amidst the chaos, the dispossessed young Duke of York—son to an executed traitor—uncovers an obscure genealogical claim and begins to eye the throne.

Plagued by dangerous infighting and facing the first stirrings of civil war, King Henry stands at a crossroads: he must hasten his journey into adulthood and take full command of his kingdom—or risk losing everything.