John is the weak son of King Henry II and brother of the late King Richard the Lion Heart. Queen Elinor is the domineering mother of John and Prince Henry is his son. Arthur, who is just a child, is the son of John's deceased brother, Richard the Lion Heart.
Under the rule of King John, England is forced into war when the French challenge the legitimacy of John's claim to the throne and determine to install his nephew Arthur in his place. But political principles, hypocritically flaunted, are soon forgotten, as the French and English kings form an alliance based on cynical self-interest. And as the desire to cling to power dominates England's paranoid and weak-willed king, his country is threatened with disaster.
