In 19th century Austria, Elisabeth of Wittelsbach, known as Sissi, a carefree teenager, falls madly in love with a powerful and desirable man, Emperor Franz Joseph I. But he must marry Sissi's sister, Helen.
But this man has a hidden side, dark and dangerous. He is a womanizer, has very different ideas in politics, which annoys Duke Max. Sissi regularly refuses to comply with the customs of the monarchy and struggles to find a place for herself at court.