While Will pleads with the dying Queen for suicidal Hal's life, his poems are stolen, printed and distributed without his permission, setting in motion a chain of events that could prove disastrous.
In the wake of Essex's failure to tame the Irish rebels, the actors' brush with politics has catastrophic consequences.
Will's taking his son to London to introduce him to life and get to know him proves to be a mixed blessing with a tragic ending.
Plague over, life returns to normal in London and the theatres reopen. The inconstancy of a dark mistress and the jealousy of an Earl conspire to enlarge Will's understanding of human nature.