The earl of Oxford, a courtier to Elizabeth I, is unable to put his name to the poetry and plays he has written, so allows a commoner named William Shakespeare to take the credit. He endeavours to keep his secret hidden as he is drawn into political intrigue in the royal court. Counterfactual period thriller, starring Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave and Rafe Spall.

Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her, the story advances the theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford who penned Shakespeare's plays.