Plot summary

Christmas 1183: An aging and conniving King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) plans a reunion where he hopes to name his successor. He summons the following people for the holiday: his scheming but imprisoned wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn); his mistress, Princess Alais (Jane Merrow), whom he wishes to marry; his three sons, Richard (Sir Anthony Hopkins), Geoffrey (John Castle), and John (Nigel Terry), all of whom desire the throne; and the young, but crafty, King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton) (who is also Alais' brother). With the fate of Henry's empire at stake, everybody engages in his or her own brand of deception and treachery to stake his or her claim.—