When the young Marie de Rohan arrives at the French court, she is astonished to discover that the marriage between Anne of Austria and Louis XIII, both aged 18, has not been consummated after four years.

Thanks to Marie, Anne is finally pregnant with a possible heir to the throne; a tragic accident destroys the royal peace and sees Marie exiled, far from the court and from Anne.

Marie, now Duchess of Chevreuse, has fallen for the venomous Count of Holland; plotting revenge on Louis, Marie uses Anne to provoke the King's jealousy; things get out of hand, and relations between France and England suffer.