Despite differences in rank and background, King Henry II and Thomas Becket are lifelong friends. The King is in constant conflict with the Church, which refuses to contribute financing to his wars in France, and jealously guards the tax-free status granted it by previous monarchs. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, Henry has a brilliant idea: rather than another pious cleric loyal to Rome, he will appoint his old friend, Thomas Becket--technically a deacon--to the post. Unfortunately, Becket takes the job seriously, holding devotion to God and the Church above his loyalty to the throne, or the person of its inhabitant. In opposition to Henry, he proves abler than his predecessors do, and the clash of two powerful personalities leads to destruction.