Chinon, France, Christmas, 1183. Henry Plantagenet, King of England and half of France, gathers his family - eldest son Richard (The Lionheart); Geoffrey, his middle son; and John, the youngest; along with his wife, Eleanor, whom he has temporarily released from prison so she can enjoy the holiday; Henry's current mistress, Alais, Princess of France; and her brother, Philip, the King of France.  Once gathered, the struggle for power and the plotting begin as each conspires either to be Henry's appointed heir and the next King of England or owner of "The Aquitaine," the richest province in France.