The Empress

After the devastating Sardinian War, Emperor Franz (Philip Froissant) returns a traumatized man. The guilt of having lost thousands of young men on the battlefield weighs heavily on him. Elisabeth (Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu) tries to stand by him — she fights passionately for her marriage while at the same time advocating for what would now be right for the empire — yet in vain. While Franz's infidelity further shakes the marriage, resistance at court and her own health force Elisabeth to leave Vienna and set off to a distant island to recover.
By chance, the Empress meets the leader of the Hungarian revolution, Count Andrássy (Dejan Bućin), on her journey. Their encounter is immediately marked by strong intellectual and physical attraction. Almost simultaneously, Franz's brother Maximilian (Johannes Nussbaum) sets off on a great adventure with his wife Marie (Josephine Thiesen): he is to ascend the imperial throne in far-off Mexico.
In the end, Elisabeth must decide: follow her heart unconditionally, or be a sincere empress to her people.