William Shakespeare leaves the small rural town of Stratford to pursue his dream of becoming a playwright in the dangerous, growing metropolis of London. Public theatre is red-hot modernity and Shakespeare begins his journey at the very bottom.

A 30-year-old Shakespeare is at the top of his game: he's got a job at England's best theatre company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and the money is rolling in. Determined to restore his family's reputation, Shakespeare works harder than ever.

Shakespeare's life and legacy are threatened when the Gunpowder Plot unearths a secret he has worked all his life to bury. When his daughter is implicated in the fallout, Shakespeare produces Macbeth.