Will is wracked with guilt over the arrest of the rival playwright, Baxter, and he makes a dangerous confession to the beautiful and rebellious Alice. The future of the theatre is threatened when the crowd-pleasing actor, Kemp, is tempted by another playhouse.

Marlowe introduces Will to the decadent elite of London, but things take a macabre turn; Alice becomes disillusioned; Will must fight for all that he holds dear.