Sex, murder and suicide. A fairytale ballet this is not, in Kenneth MacMillan's raunchy historically based tragedy. Regarded by many as the choreographer's greatest masterpiece, this dark and disturbing work pushes the boundaries of classical ballet, delving deep into the psyche of a sexually tortured prince, considered to be one of the physically demanding in the dance medium. When the unstable Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary is forced into marriage, he is introduced to a teenage mistress by his former lover; however, this young woman has a disturbing obsession of her own - death.