Two pistol shots rang out on the morning of January 30th 1889… and death made two star-cross’d lovers immortal…
At thirty, the Archduke Rudolph was seeking distraction in wine, women, and music—loving life passionately, yet burning it as a thing of no value… Estranged from his sour-tempered wife, opposed to the feudal policies of his father, the Emperor Franz Joseph, he was the centre of a thousand intrigues…
Suddenly there was Marie—the Baronesse Marie Vetsera—bewitching, lovely and only seventeen—who fell in love with Rudolph at first sight… and happiness and torment…
Terence Young directed a movie made upon this book, starring Omar Sharif, Catherine Deneuve, James Mason and Ava Gardner.