Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I, Queen of England: Two queens in one isle, united by kinship but separated by religion. Both want the same thing - the English throne. Their exchange of letters over a period of 27 years, first as young queens in Scotland and England, to the final letter by Mary to Elizabeth before her execution, reveal the truth about their relationship: the men they loved, the dangers they faced, their political struggles amid truth and deception and how the outcome of their struggle changed the history of the world we live in. The Thistle and the Rose brings the queens' correspondence to life in an intimate and powerful stage play.