Angliya. Seredina XVI veka. Vremya vosshestviya na prestol velikoy korolevy Yelizavety I, prinyavshey Angliyu nishchey i isterzannoy beskonechnymi dinasticheskimi raspryami i prevrativshey yeye v pervuyu derzhavu Yevropy. No poka do blistatel'nogo yelizavetinskogo zolotogo veka yeshche daleko, a molodoy monarkhine-protestantke protivostoyat pochti vse yevropeyskiye strany – osobenno Frantsiya, zhelayushchaya posadit' na angliyskiy tron sobstvennuyu stavlennitsu – katolichku Mariyu Styuart. Takova nelegkaya epokha, v kotoroy dovelos' zhit' yunoshe i devushke iz severnogo goroda Kingsbridzha, slavnogo svoim legendarnym soborom, - goroda, nyne razdelennogo i raskolotogo besposhchadnoy vrazhdoy mezhdu protestantami i katolikami. I eta vrazhda, vozmozhno, navsegda razluchit Mardzheri Fitsdzheral'd, ch'ya sem'ya podderzhivayet Mariyu Styuart slovom i delom, i Neda Uillarda, kotorogo sud'ba privodit na taynuyu sluzhbu yeye velichestva, - v ryady legendarnykh shpionov korolevy Yelizavety… Masshtabnaya istoricheskaya saga Kena Folletta prodolzhayetsya! sakriti opis