Tucked away in the county estate of her beloved father, Lord Calverley, young Nell de Lacey feeds her hungry mind with philosophy, language, and science. Her mother, once a lady-in-waiting to Henry VIII's wife Katherine Parr, wants her to prepare for her duties as a wife. Nell wants something more, and a chance meeting with Princess Elizabeth pushes her closer to finding it. Her chance comes when she is summoned to be a lady-in-waiting to the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth. But a lingering rumor about nine unaccounted for months in the Virgin Queen's past reignites when the flame haired Nell-a mirror image of the queen-arrives at court. Quickly she catches the eye of Elizabeth and those who want the queen to fail. With strong evidence to connect the two women, the truth could send Nell and her loved ones to the Tower of London.