It is 1708, and Britain is at war with France. Queen Anne is in frail health; she shows little interest in governing, preferring activities such as racing ducks and playing with her 17 rabbits, one for each of the children she has lost. Her confidante, adviser, and furtive lover Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough, effectively rules the country through her influence over the Queen. Sarah’s efforts to control Anne are undermined by Robert Harley, the Leader of the Opposition, who, as a landowner, argues against a doubling of property taxes proposed in order to fund the war.
