The curtain rises on Episode 1 of "My Lady Jane," titled "Who'll be the Next in Line?" as Lady Jane Grey confides in her attendants, Esther and Susannah, that the institution of marriage holds no appeal for her. She declares her desire to pen a tome, a Remediorum, detailing the curative powers of various herbs, a pursuit she finds far more alluring than any marital alliance.
Suddenly, news arrives that her esteemed uncle, the Duke of Leicester, has arrived to visit her family, and Jane hastens to greet him. At the dinner table, the Duke's mockery of Jane's penchant for books stings her deeply. Lady Frances Grey, Jane's mother, inquiries about the proposed marriage between Jane and Lord Guildford Dudley, to which the Duke reveals that the proposal has been accepted, shocking Jane to the core.
In her chambers, Lady Frances scolds Jane, informing her that the wedding with Guildford will take place in mere three days, owing to the Dudley family's vast wealth. Jane's heart sinks when she discovers that her mother has burned the manuscript she had been working on, her dream of a different life reduced to ashes.
That night, Jane makes a bold decision to flee, stealing one of her mother's precious rings. She begs Susannah to accompany her, but Lady Frances intercepts them before they can escape. Accusing Susannah of stealing the ring, she orders the guards to apprehend her. Jane tries valiantly to defend her maid and friend, but in an unexpected turn, Susannah transforms into a hawk and soars into the night sky. Jane is left reeling, realizing that Susannah is an Ethian - a shapeshifting human banished from society by King Henry, forced to beg, hunt, and steal for a living.
As preparations for the wedding continue unabated, Lady Frances escorts Jane to Lord Dudley's estate, unaware of the turmoil that now simmers within Jane's soul.
There, Jane encounters Stanley (Stan) Dudley and misidentifies him as his brother, Guildford. His behavior towards a child leaves her feeling embarrassed, and she mocks him openly. Jane realizes that her only hope of halting her impending marriage lies in her cousin, King Edward.
She promptly visits the King and learns of his deteriorating health. Devastated, Jane hears Edward's confession that he, too, had been forced into a role he did not want, much like her current predicament. Just then, Mary and Elisabeth (Bess) arrive, bearing a pie that Mary has prepared for the King. After consuming a slice, Edward suddenly begins to choke.
Panic grips the court as the King's guards rush to summon Dr. Butts. However, Jane remains calm and instructs Bess to find a lilac flower. She then urges Edward to bite the flower, and to her relief, he instantly feels better.
Edward expresses his gratitude to Jane for saving his life, but Lord Seymour intervenes, insisting that the King needs to rest. Amid Edward's failing health, Lord Dudley, another of the King's counsellors, makes an appearance at the royal court.
Seymour and Dudley engage in a subtle game of manipulation, each trying to influence Edward to name either Mary or Jane as his successor in his will. Edward, however, remains steadfast and seals his will, instructing that it should only be unsealed upon his death.
That night, Seymour attempts to tempt Edward with more of Mary's pie, but Petunia, the King's loyal dog, intervenes, biting Seymour and dropping the pie to the ground. Seymour orders the guards to kill the dog, but Edward commands them to stop, dismissing Seymour in the process.
As Jane returned home, the chariot malfunctioned, forcing her to take a solitary horse ride. Realizing that solitude was a rarity for her, she detoured into a tavern, astonished to find a lively scene of men and women indulging in merriment and alcohol. Her gaze was instantaneously captured by a mysterious man, who engaged her in a flirtatious conversation.
Just then, the royal guards descended upon the tavern, intending to apprehend a fugitive named Archer. However, the scene was thrown into disarray when Archer, an Ethian, transformed into a bear, causing chaos. The mysterious man guided Jane to safety, urging her to flee with him, but her eyes fell upon Susannah, and she hastened to her friend's side. As Jane attempted to speak with Susannah, Joe, a royal guard, intercepted them. Jane quickly pushed Susannah out of harm's way, allowing Joe to apprehend her instead. As Jane faced imminent dunking in a well, Frances arrived, saving her from the impending peril and escorting her home.
Within the King's palace, Petunia transformed into a woman, preventing King Edward from consuming poisoned food. She revealed that Edward's grandmother had sent her to safeguard his life. Edward was perplexed, as he believed his grandmother to be deceased. Petunia presented him with a locket as proof, adding that someone had been plotting to murder him through poison.
Meanwhile, Mary and Seymour indulged in intimate pleasures, Mary inquiring about the progress of their plot to poison and kill Edward. Worried about Mary's reaction, Seymour concealed the fact that Edward's will might have named Jane as his successor. Jane begged her mother to halt her union with Guildford, but Lady Frances sternly warned that if Jane refused, her younger sister Katherine would be forced to wed their great-uncle, the Duke of Leicester. Reluctantly, Jane prepared for her wedding, her mind still fixated on the tavern's mysterious stranger.
As King Edward escorted Jane down the aisle, she was stunned to discover that Lord Guildford was none other than the man she had encountered in the tavern. The episode culminated in a dramatic climax, as Jane collapsed during the ceremony, blood streaming from her mouth, and was hastily rushed to the doctor's care.
