Was Shakespeare a fraud? Who really wrote about cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles hungry for the power of the throne? Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her, intrigue and suspense advance the theory that it was really Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays.

The world on the brink of World War I is being manipulated by a cabal of political villains strategically placed to create conflict. One British lord and his son create a network of domestic worker spies in hopes of undermining the efforts, taking on the likes of Rasputin and Mata Hari with the crown's silent support. When the war happens anyway and takes the life of one of these men, the other must rise above his grief to bring an end to years of...