Shakespeare, the savvy, street-wise actor, and Marlowe, the educated, brilliant writer, each has his own dark secrets, aspirations, and singular approach to life and love. But they are bonded forever when caught in a web of political intrigue, corruption, and, ultimately, brutal murder. To save their lives and escape torture in Elizabethan chambers of horror, they are reluctantly cast as the main players in the greatest performance ever . acting out an extraordinary deceit that has lasted to this day. An absorbing tale of conspiracy, manipulation, romance, and death when two young men from vastly different backgrounds are flung together by their passion for the written word. A novel based on a story as told, and a concept devised, by Kevin Heeney.