Archduchess Sophia of Austria-Hungary arranges a marriage of convenience between her young son Franz-Josef, the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, and the Bavarian princess Hélène of Wittelsbach. However, as a great ball is held to celebrate their betrothal, Franz-Josef takes no notice of Hélène, but instead spends the night waltzing away with Hélène's younger sister Elisabeth. Against his mother's will, Franz-Josef marries Elizabeth, but his 16-year-old bride finds it very hard to adapt to her new role as Empress.
On a cold Winter's day in London in 1858, the Princess Victoria of England, the daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, marries Prince Frederick William, the heir to the Prussian throne. After the wedding celebrations are over, the newlyweds cross the channel for Germany.
In 1887, under the iron fist of Bismarck, the Prussian empire thrives. In Willy, the young son of the heir to the Prussian throne Prince Frederick William, Bismarck sees a leader more fit than his liberal father to bring forth the dream of a powerful and unified German empire.
On the morning of the 30th January 1889, the 30-year-old Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria-Hungary is found dead at the imperial hunting lodge at Mayerling in what looks like a suicide pact with his 17-year-old mistress Marie Vetsera. As well as dealing with their personal tragedy and loss, the Emperor Franz-Josef and the Empress Elizabeth are faced with the difficult task of covering up what really happened in hope of avoiding the potentially major public scandal.
The young Tsarevich Nicholas of Russia finds the idea of succeeding his father an absolute nightmare and spends most of his time trying to forget the matter by amusing himself with his friends and his mistress, the prima ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska. As the reaches the age of 26, his parents decide that he must marry and the Tsarevich reluctantly agrees to the idea only on condition that he can marry the German princess Alexandra of Hesse. Despite his parents' strong disapproval of Alexandra, Nicholas proceeds to propose to her at the wedding of her brother Ernest in Coburg. Meanwhile, in another part of Russia, Nadezhda Krupskaya meets Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, a man who would later become better known as Lenin, for the very first time.
In Russia in 1903, Nicholas II has been Tsar for nine years and nobody no longer doubts that revolution soon will come. The important questions at the moment are how, when, and led by whom. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known as Lenin, meets Martov, Trotsky and Plekhanov for a Marxist congress.
The opposition against Tsarism is spreading throughout Russia, but Tsar Nicholas II prefers to disregard and stay blind to the rising discontent. The Tsar's mind is instead mainly consumed by the ill health of his firstborn son, Alexis.
The Grand Duke Serge is assassinated by terrorist in Moscow in 1905 and the Tsar sees the need to dismiss his Police Chief and appoint a new one in order to heighten security in St Petersbourg. Tsar Nicholas chooses a man named Ratchkovsky for the job, but both his ministers and his Tsarina have serious doubts about Ratchkovsky's suitability.
In 1908, the Russian Foreign Minister Isvolsky has his mind set on conquering the Dardanelles from the Turks, as the Dardanelles is the only way for the Russian fleet to pass from the Black Sea into the Mediterranean in case of a great war. He knows, however, that both Germany and Austria-Hungary have got important interests in the Balkans and would regard such a venture as a great threat to their respective empires. In order to stop Austria getting in the way, Isvolsky makes a secret agreement with Austrian Foreign Minister Aehrenthal which states that Austria gets an unopposed annexation of the small country of Bosnia-Herzegovina in exchange for their assent to Russia claiming the Dardanelles. Unbeknownst to everyone, the future battle lines of Europe have just been drawn.
After the murder of his wife and the suicide of his son, the increasingly aging Emperor Franz-Josef of Austria-Hungary has become more and more distanced from his people and his empire. Although he does not really like his new heir apparent, his nephew, the Archduke Franz-Ferdinand, for whom Franz-Josef never has been able to forgive a most unsuitable morganatic marriage, he realises that monarchy must survive. In 1914, Franz-Josef arranges so that Franz-Ferdinand and his wife are to go on official business in Sarajevo.
World War I reigns in Europe and in the Spring of 1915, Russia suffers terrible losses on the Eastern Front. At the Russian court, Tsar Nicholas and the Tsarina have become increasingly reliant on the political advice of the monk Gregory Rasputin, who has become their trusted friend and chief counsel. When the popular Commander-in-Chief Grand Duke Nicholas criticises Rasputin, the Tsar dismisses him and decides to take charge of the Russian army himself. Any other ministers who further criticise Rasputin, or indeed the Tsar's decision to take over the army, are dismissed too. As head of the army, the Tsar continues to lean heavily on the Tsarina and Rasputin for guidance and advice. Russian war fare is thus greatly relied on by a monk.
In 1917, the Russian Revolution breaks out in earnest and Lenin and Krupskaya - now living in exile in Zurich - are both thrilled as the news finally reach them in Switzerland. They long to return to Russia and be part of the revolution, but at present they have no means of doing so. Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany - ailed and exhausted by war - is also very pleased and relieved by the news of a beginning revolution in Russia. In order to help the revolution on its way - in hope of removing Russia completely from World War I - he decides to secretly transport Lenin, Krupskaya, and other Russian revolutionaries back into Russia in a sealed train.
In Russia, Lenin and the Bolsheviks have seized power and the Russians choose to make peace with Germany and withdraw from the war. To Germany's great disadvantage, however, America has decided to join World War I on the Allied side after a German U-boat sunk the British ocean liner Lusitania with 128 Americans aboard. In 1918, both the German and Austrian armies have suffered great casualties at the hands of the Allied forces and the new Austrian Emperor Karl begs Kaiser Wilhelm to make peace with the Allies before it is too late.
