Friederike becomes more and more accustomed to life in the palace. She spends as much time as she can getting to know her fiancé, Pyotr, and trying to win his favor. Some members of the court are displeased with her and try to take matters into their own hands.
After receiving her new name, Ekaterina is baptised and prepares for her wedding to Pyotr. Little does she know the affairs of her mother begin to jeopardize her chances of remaining safe and prosperous in Russia.
Ekaterina sees a fatal weakness in Pyotr. She seized her opportunity, and with the help of Gregory Orlov, begins a daring effort to seize control of the throne. Her goal: to finally get justice for herself and her broken family.
It receives word about two imposters: one a princess from Paris, who claims to be the granddaughter of Peter the Great, and the other, an experienced Cossack warrior who claims to be a descendant of the Romanov's.
After the birth of her son, Ekaterina discovers that Pyotr's premonitions are coming true. Elizabeth decides to take the baby and remove them from his care. Ekaterina is forced to watch her child grow from afar. She decides that she will do anything to get her baby back.
After the wedding, Pyotr remains distant from Ekaterina. He comes to believe that by conceiving a child, they would no longer be of use to Queen Elizabeth and would then be cast aside. Pyotr The becomes ill, sending him into a bitter spiral.
The Queen has fallen ill yet again. Pyotr is in line to succeed her at last. But his rise to power has driven his distaste for Ekaterina into pure hatred. Russians at large have begun to see him as an unfit ruler, and that is causing unrest to spread throughout the kingdom.