The film is set during the Bard's “lost years”, when the playwright rose
from obscurity in
Stratford – upon – Avon to fame as a writer in London. In the film,
Shakespeare (Matthew
Baynton), known as “Bill”, is a hopeless lute player, who leaves his family
and home behind
in an attempt to discover his true calling. He soon becomes embroiled in a plot
involving a
murderous king, scheming spies, and a plan to blow up Queen Elizabeth I.
Artwork not final