In which Will progresses from ostler to cockerel to ghostwriter - to London's premier playwright as Kit Marlowe falls from grace.

Will's new troupe of actors arrive in a plague-ridden London and perform Richard III to great acclaim, but a death in the family jeopardises all. A handsome rogue is not what he seems, luckily for Will.

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.

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.

In the wake of Essex's failure to tame the Irish rebels, the actors' brush with politics has catastrophic consequences.