In 1561, after the death of her husband
King Francis II, nineteen-year-old
Mary Stuart returns to
Scotland from
France to take up her throne. She is received by her
illegitimate half brother,
James Stewart, Earl of Moray. In neighboring
England, Mary's twenty-eight-year-old, unmarried and childless cousin
Elizabeth Tudor, the
Protestant Queen of England, is threatened by Mary's claim to the English throne. Mary dismisses the
cleric John Knox, a Protestant leader of the
Scottish Reformation, from the Scottish court. He views the young
Catholic queen as a danger to the Protestant religion in Scotland. To weaken her cousin's threat, Elizabeth arranges for Mary, whom many English Catholics regard as England's rightful queen, to be married to an Englishman. Elizabeth chooses
Lord Robert Dudley, her childhood friend whom she secretly loves; although he and Mary are unwilling, news of Elizabeth's case of
smallpox convinces Mary to accept, provided she is named
heiress apparent. Reluctant to let go of Dudley, Elizabeth sends
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley to Scotland with the pretence of living under their religious freedom. Despite sensing the ulterior motive, Mary grows fond of Darnley so accepts his proposal. Mary's
marriage causes a constitutional crisis within both realms: Elizabeth is advised to oppose her cousin's marriage for fear that Darnley, a
Stuart grandchild of
Margaret Tudor, will elevate Mary's claim to her throne; Mary's council is suspicious of Darnley, fearing an English takeover. Both kingdoms demand Darnley's return to England, but Mary refuses, leading Moray to mount a
rebellion against her. Mary marries Darnley, only to discover him in bed with her private secretary,
David Rizzio. She defeats the rebel forces but spares Rizzio and Moray and demands that Darnley give her a child. When their son,
James, is conceived and born, Mary declares she brings "an heir to Scotland and to England" – offending the English. Moray colludes with Darnley's father,
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, to undermine his sister. Spreading false rumors that her son was actually fathered by Rizzio, drives Knox to denounce Mary as an
adulteress. Fearing these accusations and the possible discovery of his
bisexuality, Darnley is pressured into murdering Rizzio. Uncovering the plot, Mary convinces Darnley to escape with her, which is actually a ploy for her army to detain him. Mary agrees to pardon the conspirators if she is presented with evidence that Darnley took part. She ultimately forgives Moray and asks Elizabeth to be James's
godmother. Both queens agree James is the
heir presumptive despite the English court's hostility. Mary banishes Darnley but refuses to
divorce him, despite her council's appeals. Her adviser and protector
James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, then has him killed. After Darnley's
murder, Mary must flee, leaving behind her son. Bothwell says that her council has decided she must marry a Scotsman immediately—which should be Bothwell himself. She resists and suspects he was involved in Darnley's murder, but after he threatens and subsequently rapes her, she acquiesces. Knox preaches that Mary is a "harlot" who had her husband killed, leading Moray and her court to demand her
abdication. Mary obliges and flees to England. Elizabeth arranges a clandestine meeting, where Mary asks for help to take back her throne. Unwilling to go to war on behalf of a Catholic queen, Elizabeth promises a safe
exile in England as long as Mary does not aid her enemies. Mary responds that if she was to do so, it would only be because Elizabeth forced her to and threatens that should Elizabeth kill her, she should remember that she would "murder" her sister and queen. Placing Mary under
house arrest, Elizabeth receives compelling evidence that Mary
conspired with her enemies to have her
assassinated, and reluctantly orders Mary's
execution. As Mary walks to the
scaffold, a remorseful Elizabeth cries for her. Mary's servants then reveal a
bright red dress, implying Mary to be a
martyr. In her final words, Mary hopes her son will have a peaceful reign. A textual epilogue reveals that Elizabeth, who never married, had a child or named an heir, reigned for almost 45 years while James became the first monarch to rule
both Scotland and England upon her death. == Cast ==