By the late 1520s, King Henry VIII's wife Catherine has failed to produce an heir to the throne. Attracted to Anne Boleyn, King Henry (Robert Shaw) asks the Pope to grant him a divorce. For reasons both practical and selfish, he's backed by everyone except the highly regarded member of the Council of England, Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield). When Cardinal Wolsey (Orson Welles), Chancellor of England, names More as his successor, it becomes increasingly important for King Henry to get his support. But when More cannot be swayed, Henry orders the clergy to renounce the Pope and name him to lead the new Church of England. Cromwell (Leo McKern), leader of the divorce campaign, frames More, forcing him to resign as Chancellor and then bringing him to trial where he's found guilty of treason and beheaded.