Marie Antoinette is just a teenager when forced to leave Austria to marry the Dauphin of France. She must deliver an heir in order to secure an alliance between the two nations, but she is unprepared for the royal family that awaits her.
When Louis refuses to share his bed with her, Marie Antoinette realizes that producing an heir will not be straightforward. She turns to Madame du Barry for help but a rivalry begins to form between the Favorite and the Dauphine.
The Royal Family holidays at Fontainebleau and Marie Antoinette learns of Du Barry's plan to find a bride for Provence. The escalating hostilities threaten Antoinette's relationship with the King.
Marie Antoinette and Louis are about to make their first official visit to Paris. But when the King becomes seriously ill, the succession suddenly becomes a reality.
Louis may now be King, but Marie Antoinette is determined to launch her reign as the Queen of France. However, as her political advice is ignored and Provence and Joséphine threaten to deliver an heir, a chill sets in the royals' marriage.
Antoinette's brother Joseph comes to Versailles to save the marriage, but realizes he will have his work cut out in uniting this estranged couple, still childless after seven years. Time is running out to save the Franco-Austrian alliance.
Marie Antoinette is pregnant at last, but her reputation is attacked when explicit pamphlets challenging the legitimacy of her unborn child appear at Versailles. The castle is locked down and investigated in order to uncover the traitor.
Louis becomes increasingly confident in his position as King as he throws himself into supporting the American War of Independence. Marie Antoinette spends her time at the Petit Trianon where she begins to fall for a familiar face.
