Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex, returns from Ireland with his army in tow and with the sole purpose in mind of deposing Queen Elizabeth I, but finds that he needs help in achieving his coup. He turns to Will Shakespeare and requests a special one-and-done performance of RICHARD II, thinking that the play, with its subject being the overthrow of a sitting monarch, will serve him well. Of course, nothing serves poor Robert, not even his unflagging ego. After all, he is fond of saying: "Boasting is what I do best!".