To honor her sixteenth birthday, Crown Princess Estelle Bourbon invites sixteen of the world's best and brightest to her home for the opportunity to win her affection over the course of thirty-two weeks. She isn't thrilled about her prospective suitors, or, really, the possibility of becoming queen, but as her family's sole heir, she faces her destiny with a grim acceptance.

Julian Hanover is the Crown Prince of Estelle's neighbor to the south. His intelligence is matched only by his ambition, and a marriage with the Midland Princess would make the most sense from a political standpoint. One problem, he doesn't like Estelle, and she doesn't care for him, either.

Carter Braganza is heir to a kingdom north of Estelle's. His friendly, laid-back attitude and charisma can put a room at ease in an instant, and, better still, he and Estelle actually get along. But his heart isn't in the contest-instead, a certain Lowland Prince has caught his eye.

As the competition progresses and tensions rise to the point of all-out violence, each contestant must decide where their loyalties lie, and just how far they are willing to go to earn Estelle's hand in marriage.