The film is adapted from Heinrich Mann's novel of the same name. It tells the story of the religious war between Protestants and Catholics over land and faith in France in 1563. The leader of the Protestants, Henry of Navarre, organized an armed force in Paris to fight against the powerful Catholics and his mother, the Queen Mother of France, Catherine de Medici. In 1572, the Catholic royal family decided to marry the leader of the Protestants, King Henry of Navarre, to end the war. Princess Margaret, the king's sister, naturally became a victim of political marriage. The wedding was held in Paris, and Margaret married Henry of Navarre. Just as everyone was celebrating the wedding, all the bells in Paris rang. Under the planning of Queen Mother Catherine, a massacre against Protestants kicked off, and the whole of France was covered in blood. This was the famous tragedy of St. Bartholomew's Night in Western history. After several years of war, Henry became Henry IV, the founding monarch of the Bourbon Dynasty, and Margaret also changed from a French princess to the Queen of France, known as Queen Margaret. However, the couple never really loved each other, and each of them had a lover... Behind-the-scenes production director Joe Bayer was born in Munich, Germany in 1949. He studied German, American literature and drama studies, and obtained a doctorate in 1980. He began directing films from documentaries in 1976, and by 1998 he had shot more than 60 reports and documentaries. He began directing science fiction films in 1984, and it was science fiction films that made him one of the most respected filmmakers in Germany.