May, 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead. As the axe drops, Thomas Cromwell emerges from the bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master Henry VIII settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour. Now, with no great family to back him, no private army, and only his wits to rely on, Cromwell must navigate the dangerous court of a most unpredictable king.