Born to privilege, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria was given an extensive, liberal education, which he strove to us to bring the Habsburg Empire into the modern world. His was a struggle against his father Emperor Franz Josef, the conservative court, and the reactionaries in the government, including the Emperor himself and against his own class, to support minorities, improve the lot of the common man, and curtail the rights of the aristocracy. His mother, the beautiful but melancholic Empress Sisi had her own struggle against the same opposition. Rudolf becomes convinced his country is heading toward a catastrophe that he can do nothing to prevent. With his ideals shattered, he meets Baroness Mary Vetsera and begins an affair that ends in the tragedy at Mayerling.