True story of the mad monk who plotted to rule Russia.

In Russia, in 1913, Czar Nicholai Alexander and Czarina Alexandra opulently celebrate three hundred years of the Romanoff dynasty, unaware that their empire is crumbling. A short time later, Prince Paul Chegodieff reports to the Grand Duke Igor that his brother Sergei has been assassinated. Though he is engaged to Sergei's daughter, Princess Natasha, Paul is against Igor's plans for mass executions of all suspects. When thousands gather in protest at the palace, the frightened Czar and Czarina send their only son, the Czarevitch Alexis Nikolaiovitch "Aloysha," to the people, and the appearance of the brave boy appeases the crowd. Three months later, the czar decides to create a "Duma" for the people, patterned after the British parliament. Meanwhile, Natasha has come under the influence of a charismatic monk named Rasputin, much to Paul's displeasure. When Aloysha, who suffers from hemophilia, falls and cannot stop bleeding, Natasha urges the czarina to let Rasputin cure the child. Spellbound by Rasputin and heartbroken by her child's screams of pain, Alexandra sends the child's physicians away and allows the monk to see him alone. Rasputin mesmerizes Aloysha, and he is miraculously cured. Soon Rasputin becomes an honored member of the royal household and exhibits considerable power over the family. The head of the secret police visits Rasputin and offers to give him personal files on wealthy members of society in exchange for political favors. Rasputin uses the files to blackmail the wealthy for money, power and sexual favors. By 1914, as Rasputin's power expands, Paul becomes increasingly concerned. Paul and Natasha are now married, but Natasha's slavish devotion to Rasputin continues. Some time later, Paul goes to visit the czarevitch and sees that Rasputin is controlling the child's mind. When the boy savagely bites Paul, Paul and Rasputin argue. When the czarina arrives, she takes Rasputin's side and orders Paul away. Soon Natasha goes to Rasputin to warn him that Paul has plans to kill him. Later, when Paul arrives, he shoots the monk several times, but nothing happens, because Rasputin is wearing a metal breastplate for protection. In Aug 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany orders Russia to demobilize or go to war. Though the czar does not want to fight the kaiser, who is his cousin, Rasputin advises him to keep his troops, over the protests of Paul. When the war begins, Paul and the czar go to the front. One night, Rasputin tries to force himself on Princess Maria, the czar's daughter. When the frightened Maria tells Natasha, her devotion to Rasputin turns to hate. He tries to hypnotize her back into submission, but is interrupted by the czarina, who finally sees his evil. She tells him that his influence is over, but he merely laughs. Natasha then sends for Paul and they decide that Rasputin must be killed, no matter what effect his death might have on Aloysha. During a wild party to which Rasputin has been invited, he is fed enough poisoned cakes to kill several men, but the poison proves ineffectual. When Paul arrives, he asks Rasputin to accompany him to the cellar. As Rasputin starts to weaken, Paul tells him about the poison, and Rasputin says, "If I die, Russia dies." The two men then fight and end up out in the snow. Paul strangles the monk, then throws him into the river, where he finally drowns. Upon Rasputin's death, the czarevitch awakens from his hypnotic trance and embraces his mother. The Czar then "officially" exiles Paul and Natasha to England, even though he is personally grateful. Some months later, after the Russian Revolution begins, the royal family are imprisoned, then killed before a firing squad.