As he seeks the annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII appoints himself the head of the Church of England. And Anne Boleyn insists that Henry remove Queen Katherine from the picture -- and Court.

The Archbishop's capitulation to Henry results in Thomas More's resignation and a triumphal trip by Henry to France to show off his new queen to Francis.

After Henry breaks all ties with the church and marries Anne, the Pope threatens him with excommunication and authorizes Anne's assassination.

After princess Elisabeth's baptism, Henry orders Thomas Cromwell to draw up a bill of succession favoring his and Ann's offspring, to be accepted by an oath from all subjects. The affront to the imperialist party is maximized by making princess Mary a lowly lady in waiting to her half-sister, yet the French King still refuses openly to recognize the new Queen. Ann orders her rival lady Eleanor Luke eliminated, by false charges of jewel theft. Tired of Henry's schismatic obstinacy, Pope Paul III makes the loyal, hence jailed bishop Fisher a cardinal, Henry orders his beheading. Thomas More can no longer support his entire family, yet answers Cromwell's questions with Henry's own pamphlet arguing for papal supremacy by divine right. At her father Thomas Boleyn's suggestion only an ambitious mistress is a problematic rival, Ann urges Margaret 'Madge' Sheldon to 'succeed' Eleanor. Thomas More refuses to take the oath as phrased, while accepting he succession, landing him in the Tower.

Fisher and More continue to resist the coercion to take the oath and pay with their lives as Henry's ardor toward Anne subsides after her miscarriage.

When King Francis refuses to approve an engagement involving the baby but proposes one between Mary and the Dauphin, Henry begins to turn against Anne.

Henry warns Anne to stay out of state affairs, but her paranoiac fear of Catherine is only alleviated with her death and Anne's new pregnancy.

The Pope excommunicates Henry, who recovers after a near-fatal jousting accident and begins a relationship with Jane Seymour.

As Jane Seymour's fortunes rise, Anne's fall. Several of those close to her including her brother are tortured into confessing treason and beheaded.

Anne goes to her death continuing to pronounce her innocence and that of the accused men.