The boy King Henry returns from his victory in France with his new bride, the ambitious and domineering, Margaret of Anjou. The devious Suffolk has arranged the marriage, to the delight of Henry, but Suffolk covets the beautiful Margaret for himself, he also hopes to exert power over the monarch and Margaret. The noble Duke of Gloucester is horrified at the treaty that Suffolk has made with the French which passes the dukedoms of Anjou and Maine to the King of Naples, Margaret's father. The King suspects nothing and Suffolk is rewarded with a Dukedom. Meanwhile Suffolk hires two murderers to kill Gloucester. Suffolk tells the King that Gloucester has died in his bed but the King does not believe him. The Earl of Warwick accuses Suffolk and Winchester of his murder and so brings about their downfall and deaths. Jack Cade marches with a mob on London and the Duke of Clifford turns the mob against Cade who is subsequently killed. York returns from Ireland at the head of his army but is too scared to claim the throne, instead he demands that his old enemy, the Duke of Somerset is imprisoned. The King agrees but goes back on his word which leads a furious York to make a claim for the crown. The War of the Roses between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists so begins.