The title is a clue to the structure of the novel, for alternate chapters relate the relationships and adventures of two couples. Odd-numbered chapters tell of a young William Shakespeare during his lost years and Mary, Queen of Scots, the older woman, who is imprisoned in England by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth. The even-numbered chapters concern a modern-day pairSam, a forty-something writer whose icon is Mary Stuart, and Kate, a PhD student of Shakespeare.
Their romances develop in parallel whilst at the same time leaving and discovering clues as to the 16th century couples Catholicism.
Sam and Kate, acting as literary detectives, unveil facts and they hypothesize on the possibility that Shakespeare was a recusant Roman Catholic, which was forbidden in those times. They also suggest ways in which his union with Queen Mary could have inspired and influenced the future playwrights oeuvre, both in his subtle incorporation of Catholic doctrine and in other facets of his plays, such as cross-dressing, early feminist traits, and in the depiction of age differences in relationships.
The ending of the novel draws together the four characters in a surprising finale.
