Yorkshire, England 1952 Ruth Ackroyd leaves the monotony of her work at her father's textile mill on a Friday evening and secretly takes the train to Manchester. There, she meets a man on the platform, but all is not what it seems.

It was on the bloody battlefield of Hastings in 1066 that William, Duke of Normandy, defeated and killed the gallant but battle-weary Harold II of England. From that day on, England would never be the same: uprisings in the north were mercilessly crushed and a new ruling class of Norman barons was gradually established. This programme paints a unique portrait of a man who was at once a great warrior and a ruthless poliotician and statesman. Architect of the Domesday book and builder of countless beautiful churches and castles, William the Conqueror's reign truly shaped the future of the nation.

Danielle, a vibrant young woman, was forced into servitude after the death of her father when she was a young girl. Danielle's stepmother, Rodmilla, is a heartless woman who forces Danielle to do the cooking and cleaning, while she tries to marry off the eldest of her two daughters to the prince. But Danielle's life takes a wonderful turn when, under the guise of a visiting royal, she meets the charming Prince Henry.