Genre: Historical/Drama/Biography
Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: Ben Collins & John Malone
Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Ferguson, Sophie Turner, Emma Mackey, Josephine Langford, Angourie Rice, Jackson Robert Scott, George Mackay, Liev Schreiber, Matthew Macfadyen, Gustaf Skarsgard, Shantel VanSanten, Jared Harris, Dominic West
Plot: Petrograd, Russia - February 22, 1917
In the middle of the night, Russian Tsar Nicholas Romanov II (Alexander Skarsgard) is sound asleep in the master bedroom of the royal family's Winter Palace next to his wife Alexandra (Rebecca Ferguson). They are suddenly awakened by their eldest daughter Olga (Sophie Turner) who has rushed in to her parents because her little brother Alexei (Jackson Robert Scott) is having another nosebleed. Alexandra gets out of bed to comfort her son. Alexei is a very fragile boy, he suffers from haemophilia and his life is at risk almost every day. Alexandra is a healthy carrier of the disease and especially in the past she had been very depressed for this reason. In the morning, Nicholas bids farewell to his wife Alexandra and his children Olga, Tatyana (Emma Mackey), Maria (Josephine Langford), Anastasia (Angourie Rice) and Alexei. Alexandra gives Nicholas a kiss and urges him to stay safe. Nicholas then leaves with some of his top generals toward Stavka, where the Russian army is on the front lines of the Great War.
With the Tsar away from the capital on the front lines of the war, protests raging against the government reach a fever point. Hearing gunfire and explosions from the city, Alexandra urges her children to prepare a bag of belongings in case they need to make a hasty retreat from the palace if things get any worse. On the war front, Nicholas receives word that the people have begun to take over the city and are calling for his resignation in order for the violence to cease. As he is weighing his options, Nicholas receives a message from Alexandra. She informs him that although the city around them is in turmoil, she and the children are currently safe for the time being.
On March 15, in the private carriage of the Imperial train, Nicholas agrees to sign a document renouncing the throne of the Russian Empire. As he signs the abdication document, Nicholas comments that it had always been his dream to cede the throne to his son Alexei, but now he believes that would not be a wise decision at this time and instead agrees to pass the throne down to his brother Mikhail. When Mikhail (Gustaf Skarsgard) is informed that he is now the named successor to the throne he discusses it with his wife Natalya (Shantel Vansanten) and decides to refuse the throne. With Mikhail's refusal, the rile of the House of Romanov comes to an end after more than 300 years. When Nicholas' resignation is made official, the riots cease and turn to celebration. Alexandra is informed that she and her family are all under arrest and are to be transported to Tsarskoye Selo - a gigantic residence complex of the Russian imperial family located 26 kilometers south of Petrograd.
Nicholas is allowed to keep the title of Colonel by Russia's new provisional government and is escorted by armed guards away from the front lines to the Tsarkoye Selo compound. Before leaving he write a moving message to the troops as former commander in chief, which however not published by the new officers. Once the Romanov family is all reunited, they are informed by Colonel Eugene Kobylinsky (Liev Schreiber), who oversees the military presence on the compound, that they are subject to house arrest and must not leave the compound or they will be shot. He informs the family that they will be left alone when inside of the mansion, but any time spent outside on the grounds will be closely watched. The family begrudgingly accepts this. The streets around Tsarskoye Solo are filled with sentries and there are would-be officers inside. As Nicholas walks the grounds, he tries to introduce himself to one of the guards, but the guard spits at him in return.
While exploring the grounds, Tatiana, Anastasia and Alexei discover a litter of kittens in a barn on the compound. Alexei pleads with his sisters to help him bring them all into the house. Seeing their little brother cheerful for the first time since they left the Winter Palace, Tatiana and Anastasia agree to help.
Nicholas and Alexandra, after much effort, are able to arrange a meeting with Alexander Kerensky (Matthew Macfadyen) - the leader of Russia's provisional government - to discuss the conditions of their confinement. When Kerensky arrives at the compound, he meets with Nicholas, Alexandra and their two eldest daughters Olga and Tatiana in the tea room. Kerensky makes it clear that he is only there as sign of good will toward the people of Russia who still support the former royal family. Nicholas requests permission to meet with his brother Mikhail and to extend the family's allotted outdoors time. Kerensky says that he has no interest in negotiating any terms with them. Up until then Tatiana had been silent during the meeting, but she angrily stands up and begins telling Kerensky how hard the situation has been for her family. After hearing Tatiana's impassioned appeal, Kerensky agrees to Nicholas' requests. That evening Alexandra has a nightmare reminding her of Rasputin's prophecy that her entire family would be dead in the near future.
Kerensky meets with the other members of the provisional government. They inform him that they believe that having the Romanov family imprisoned so close to the capitol could incite future unrest. After discussing a list of alternatives, they decide to have the family transferred to the former Governor's mansion in the Siberian town of Tobolsk. Kobylinsky informs the family of the government's decision and instructs them to begin packing immediately. Alexandra is unhappy about the decision as she worries how Alexei's health conditions will react if they are still in Tobolsk when winter arrives. Alexei is upset about having to move again and refuses to pack his things. Olga and Anastasia are able to convince him that the family moving to Tobolsk will be a good change of scenery and help him pack up his belongings. Alexei sneaks one of the kittens in with his things.
On August 19, the family arrives at their new residence in the smaller, more isolated mansion in Tobolsk. When the Romanov family enters the residence, they discover it is much smaller than they used to. In the study, Olga discovers a dusty piano. She wipes away the dust and begins playing beautifully. She then hears the sound of a mandolin mixing with her piano from outside. She looks out the window and sees one of the guards, Andrei (George MacKay), playing. Olga rushes back to the piano and resumes the duet. Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia enter the room and begin playfully dancing to the music. At the end of the song, Olga goes back to the window and smiles at Andrei. Kobylinsky tells Andrei to put the instrument away and resume his post. Andrei exchanges a quick look with Olga before quickly following his superior officer's order. In his new bedroom, Alexei lets his kitten out to explore. Sitting in front of the fireplace, Nicholas looks exhausted from their ordeal. Alexandra puts her arm around her husband to comfort him.
Without the countless servants that family is accustomed to, the Romanovs begin to get used to a more simple existence in Tobolsk. Instead of the royal chefs, Alexandra begins cooking the family meals. The children help out with the household cleaning, while Nicholas cuts firewood to heat the governor's mansion.
Olga is walking the ground outside the house with Maria and Tatiana when she sees Andrei sitting on a low wall, smoking a cigarette. She tells her sisters to head back to the house without her and goes over to talk to Andrei. He offers her a cigarette. She accepts, although it is quickly clear that she has never smoked before. Olga tells Andrei that she is saddened. He asks why and she explains that she likes him, but knows that nothing can ever grow between them because of the present circumstances. Andrei hops down from the wall and gives Olga a kiss. Kobylisnky witnesses the kiss and walks away with a look of disappointment. The next day, Andrei knocks on the study window while Olga is playing piano. He tells her that he is being transferred immediately to Petrograd. She asks him if they can do one thing before he is shipped off. Together, Olga and Andrei enter an empty guard shack where they make love. Before Andrei leaves Tobolsk, Olga asks him not to end up like any of the soldiers she used to nurse in the hospitals around Petrograd. Andrei nods and gives her one last kiss before leaving.
In November 1917, Nicholas receives a message from his brother Mikhail informing him of yet another revolution in the government. The provisional government has been overthrown by the radical Bolsheviks. Startled by the news, Nicholas goes to see Kobylinsky to find out what it means for them. Kobylinsky assures Nicholas that he is still in command of the operations surrounding their house arrest and they will be treated with respect as long as that remains the case. The new Soviet government, led by Vladimir Lenin (Jared Harris) announces that he intends to transfer the Romanov family once again after the winter - this time to Yekaterinburg. When Kobylinsky informs the family of the decision, it hits them hard. Nicholas reminds Kobylinsky that he assured they would be treated with respect, but constantly moving them around is anything but respectful. Kobylinsky assures Nicholas that the move is completely out of his control.
As another brutal winter ravages Siberia, Anastasia comes down with a bout of measles while Alexei begins having his excessive nosebleeds again accompanied by a fever that seemingly won't go away. Olga tries to help her family by using her nursing training to help her siblings' ailments, but she is still feeling depressed after Andrei's transfer away.
As winter finally wains, Kobylinsky informs the family that he has more bad news for them. Lenin has decided that the family should be split up. Nicholas, Alexandra and one child are to be transferred to Yekaterinburg, while the other children are to stay in Tobolsk for the time being. Alexandra quietly tells Nicholas that Maria should be the one to accompany them as she is the weakest of the children mentally - and that Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia will surely be able to take care of Alexei themselves. Nicholas begrudgingly agrees. Before leaving, Nicholas gives Tatiana a small revolver. He tells her to keep it hidden and only to use it in a matter of life or death. As Nicholas, Alexandra and Maria are ushered away, Kobylsinky assures the family that they will all be reunited in Yekaterinburg in just a few weeks time.
While waiting for word to join their parents and sister, Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia sew their jewels into their clothings to avoid detection. Alexei has retreated into drawing elaborate sketches of his surroundings rather than move around them. When the word finally comes that it is time for them to head out to Yekaterinburg, Kobylinsky informs Tatiana that he's going to need her to surrender the revolver she has been keeping in her boot. She tries to deny having it, but Kobylinsky states that if she does not willingly hand it over his men will forcibly take it from her possession. Tatiana reluctantly drops the revolver and walks away from the mansion with her siblings.
When Kobylinsky has delivered Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia and Alexei to be reunited with their parents and sister in Yekaterinburg at the new house arrest compound, he finds that he has been replaced as the family's jailer by Yakov Yurovsky (Dominic West) - a personal friend of Lenin. Unlike the other residences the family has been under house arrest in, this location - the Ipatiev House - is in disrepair. Yorovsky immediately orders all of his prisoners to open all of their luggage. Nicholas tries to object, but one of the guards hits him over the head with the butt of his rifle, knocking him to the ground. When the guards find Alexei's cat in his belongings, Yurovsky orders his men to kill the cat. After the sun sets, Yurovsky orders the Romanov clan to the rooms and promptly locks them all inside, informing them that the locks will not be unlocked until morning no matter what.
In the morning, Yurovsky unlocks the doors and immediately begins interrogating Nicholas about his brother Mikhail, who has apparently disappeared while under his own house arrest in the city of Pern. Nicholas insists that he has not seen or spoken to his brother in months. After Yurovsky leaves the room, Alexandra prays that Mikhail has managed to escape from Russia. Nicholas is much more pessimistic, commenting that his brother has probably been murdered.
In July, Yurovsky receives word from Lenin himself that the government has decided to move forward with executing the former Tsar and his family rather than continue with their house arrest. Yurovsky finds that the guards are not particularly excited about executing the family, so he has them draw straws - with the handful who draw short straws selected to take part in the firing squad.
On the evening of July 16th, Yurovsky informs the family that they need to pack their luggage for a transfer to a new location. Once the family is ready, Yurovsky orders everyone down to the basement for a photograph. Yurovsky arranges the family in a row. Several soldiers then come down the basement stairs. Nicholas realizes what is going on and stands in front of his family. He pleads with Yurovsky to just kill him and allow his family to go free. Yurovsky shoots Nicholas in the head. The guards then open fire on the rest of the family, ending the House of Romanov with a cacophony of gunfire.
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