Catherine de Medici, a wealthy heiress of a noble Florentine family, has been interested in astrology and alchemy since childhood. At a young age, she becomes the wife of the French prince Henry de Valois, the future king Henry II. Thanks to her intelligence and kindness, she wins the love of her husband, however, to her great chagrin, she never manages to give him an heir. And then she resorts to the help of the astrologer and sorcerer Cosimo Ruggieri, an adept of dark magic... Catherine de Medici is one of the most mysterious and sinister figures in history. She was Queen of France, mother of three French kings, and confidant of Michel Nostradamus. The greatest atrocity is associated with her name - the bloody Night of St. Bartholomew. But what were the true motives for her actions? And is it possible, if not to justify, then at least to explain the actions of this woman, who has known so much misfortune in her life?