In the hope of promoting a liberal and united Germany, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert arrange for their eldest daughter Victoria ‘Vicky’ to marry Prince Frederick ‘Fritz’ of the Kingdom of Prussia. However, despite her love for the heir apparent and their growing family, the British princess is unprepared for the constraints of her new life in Berlin. Her politically liberal views and her influence over her husband clash with those of Otto von Bismarck and the Prussian doctrine of iron and blood. Bismarck wins influence over the Kaiser and surprises Europe with swift victories during the decisive Austro-Prussian War and Franco-Prussian War.

With Germany united under Prussia, Bismarck seeks a stabilizing alliance with the Austrians and Russians through the League of the Three Emperors. His plans extend to influencing the Kaiser’s grandson Wilhelm. In 1888, Wilhelm I and his successor Frederick III, both die (the Year of the Three Emperors). Kaiser Wilhelm II rapidly assumes the throne; Bismarck is forced to resign when his policies and political style clash with those of the young emperor. The ageing chancellor seeks support from Vicky, but she spurns him and blames his meddling for her estrangement from her son.

Tsar Alexander III doubts the ability of his son and heir-apparent, Nicholas, to inherit the Russian throne. The young tsarevich is similarly apprehensive. Despite his longstanding affair with St Petersburg ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska and the disapproval of his mother over his marriage choice, he is resolved to marry Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, seemingly the suitable match. Traveling to Germany, Nicholas II is supported in this by his relatives, including his cousin Kaiser Wilhelm and Alix’s grandmother, the ageing Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Meanwhile, the autocratic conservatism of the Imperial Government has resulted in discontent among factory workers, under the ægis of the revolutionary Vladimir Lenin.

With the resolve and the morale of the Russian army plummeting, Nicholas decides to leave the capital to take personal command of the army, leaving Alexandra behind as his eyes and ears in Petrograd. His son Alexei soon joins him, but his frail constitution soon leads to another health scare. Alexandra, becoming increasingly unpopular and insecure, has come to rely heavily on the advice and cures of faith healer Grigori Rasputin, who also advises the Empress on which religious people should be in government. As a result, Alexander Protopopov is appointed as a minister, but his ineptitude leads other politicians, such as Mikhail Rodzianko and Alexander Trepov, to scheme for change.