Katherine Howard is a fourteen-year-old girl (the cousin of Anne Boleyn) living with her grandmother at Lambeth Palace, where she has grown accustomed to a lax, licentious lifestyle.

Her arrival in England goes well until she is surprised by a drunken man (actually Henry VIII in disguise), who plants a sloppy kiss on her; she responds with an angry shove and curses him in German.

Due to her strict religious upbringing, she has not been taught how to play an instrument, sing or dance, and her mother has not made her aware of the facts of life.

Fearing for her life, Anne agrees to sign an annulment saying that she was previously betrothed to Francis of Lorraine and that her wedding was not consummated.

Henry is no longer young and handsome; he is nearly 50 years old (her grandfather's age), weighs approximately 300 lb (140 kg), and has a festering ulcer on his thigh that permanently weeps pus and blood.

Encouraged by the Duke of Norfolk and Jane Rochford, who want Katherine to bear a child for the king (whom they now believe to be completely impotent), she begins an affair with the young courtier.

However, young Katherine's life goes wrong when her past returns to haunt her in the shape of her former betrothed Francis Dereham, who arrives, sent by her grandmother, who asks that he be given a post in her household.

In reviewing the book, Publishers Weekly wrote "Gregory's accounts of events are accurate enough to be persuasive, her characterizations modern enough to be convincing.

Rich in intrigue and irony, this is a tale where readers will already know who was divorced, beheaded or survived, but will savor Gregory's sharp staging of how and why.

"[3] The Historical Novel Society review summarized the book as "Beautifully drawn characters, glorious storytelling – a tour de force from Philippa Gregory and a must read.