The Virgin Queen is a refreshing and intimate account of the Elizabeth I's rule. The tale begins when Elizabeth is a teen-age princess imprisoned in the Tower of London by her half-sister Queen Mary, charged with conspiracy and treason. We follow the young princess as she fights to hang on to her head and at the same time consolidate her power. Upon Mary's death, Elizabeth ascends to the throne and we witness a young girl forced into womanhood by the duties of royalty. Surrounded by intrigue, conspiracy, torture and murder, the young Elizabeth struggles to balance her tender personal feelings for Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, with the rigors of ruling her country. Under constant pressure to marry and produce an heir, Elizabeth is torn by the depth of the feelings she has for Dudley --a man considered a highly unsuitable match. The increasing clamor from her court and country to secure the throne transform the young queen into a liberated woman increasingly adamant that she will not be forced into a political marriage. Her duty as a monarch always taking precedence over her personal cravings. The Virgin Queen explores the fears, concerns, distastes and loves of the woman behind the crown. In Elizabeth's own immortal words: "I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king."