England is forced into war when the French challenge the legitimacy of King John`s claim to the throne. As the paranoid and weak willed king desperately clings to power in the face of usurpers, foreign enemies and rebellious lords, his country is threatened with disaster. Exploring power struggles, inheritance and succession, this taut, disturbing drama expresses, more than any of Shakespeare`s histories, the political fears and insecurities of its times.