Austria's Crown Prince Rudolf had a disagreement with his father, Emperor Franz Joseph I, over the country's progressive direction. Eventually, Rudolf comes to believe that he is a man doomed to a life of frustration because he was born into a country that refuses to acknowledge the need for social reform. Comedic relief is provided by the Prince of Wales, who would become King Edward VII of Britain. The loveless marriage between Rudolf and Princess Stéphanie drives him to seek solace in an adulterous relationship with Baroness Maria Vetsera. The circumstances surrounding their tragic deaths at the imperial family's hunting lodge, Mayerling, remain shrouded in enigma.