Ekaterina: The Rise of Catherine the Great

Princess Frederika of Germany is en route to a new future, the royal court of Empress Elizabeth of Russia, and a marriage to a Russian prince. The princess and her mother are blissfully unaware of what awaits them.

Fredericka becomes more and more accustomed to life in the palace. She spends as much time as she can getting to know her fiancé, Pyotr, and trying to win his favor.  Some members of the court are displeased with her and try to take matters into their own hands.

After receiving her new name, Ekaterina is baptized and prepares for her wedding to Pyotr. Little does she know the affairs of her mother begin to jeopardize her chances of remaining safe and prosperous in Russia.

After the wedding, Pyotr remains distant from Ekaterina. He comes to believe that by conceiving a child, they would no longer be of use to Queen Elizabeth and would then be cast aside. Pyotr then becomes ill, sending him into a bitter spiral.

After his recovery, Pyotr is no longer interested in Ekaterina. As they grow more and more distant, Queen Elizabeth loses hope of getting an heir to the throne. Her hopes rise when she puts Ekaterina in the sights of Prince Saltykov.

After the birth of her son, Ekaterina discovers that Pyotr's premonitions are coming true. Elizabeth decides to take the baby and remove them from his care. Ekaterina is forced to watch her child grow from afar. She decides that she will do anything she can to get her baby back.

Ekaterina cares less and less about the Queen's opinion of her, flaunting her affairs and misdemeanors. Despite their mutual distaste, she and Pyotr begin to conspire, knowing that the queen has fallen ill. All they want is to regain their rights to the throne and to her child.

The Queen recovers, putting Ekaterina and Pyotr's plan on hold. But their potential rise to power has done nothing to bring them closer together. Pyotr begins to fall in love with a handmaiden and Ekaterina grows closer to Gregory Orlov.

The Queen has fallen ill yet again. Pyotr is in line to succeed her at last. But his rise to power has driven his distaste for Ekaterina into pure hatred. Russians at large have begun to see him as an unfit ruler, and that is causing unrest to spread throughout the kingdom.

Ekaterina sees a fatal weakness in Pyotr. She seizes her opportunity, and with the help of Orlov, begins a daring effort to seize control of the throne. Her goal: to finally get justice for herself and her broken family.