Nick Talbot, 16-year-old son of the late first Earl of Rokesby, escapes the clutches of his tyrannical guardian by running away with Will Kempe's troupe of travelling players. They bring him to London and into a hotbed of political and sexual intrigue. Nick is a talented lad and soon comes to the attention of playwright Christopher Marlowe. So begins a partnership that leads to one of the most audacious plots theatre has even known and puts Nick at the centre of a ring of actors, writers, spies and power-mongers.