Studying the bloody Tudor era, the Englishwoman Alison Weir until recently published biographies of kings and pretenders to the British throne that had enormous reader success. In an unexpected change of genre, Weir wrote a brilliant historical novel about the mysterious Lady Jane Gray, who donned the British crown almost by accident. Sixteen-year-old Jane is completely indifferent to her close relationship with the royal family. She has no doubts about Mary Tudor's rights to the throne and dreams only of a solitary life surrounded by her favorite books. However, the parents decided otherwise: at any cost, their daughter would ascend to the throne! And the whirlwind of political events really lifts her to the heights of power, but only... for nine days. Jane can only rely on the mercy of the rightful ruler.