In 1477 Charles the Bold, ruler of the house of Burgundy, fell at the Battle of Nancy. Mary, his only daughter, inherits the most powerful duchy of the 15th century. But as a woman she can not rule - Maria has to marry. At the Vienna court, Frederick III, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, knows that Burgundy's immeasurable wealth is the key to power. He demands that his son Maximilian stop for Maria's hand. His opponent, Louis XI. from France, plans to marry his son to the young Duchess. But Maria wants to rule against any law alone and Maximilian also refuses to be a plaything of political ambitions. Together they are looking for another way.