Content Warning: The novel and the guide reference pregnancy loss and domestic abuse.

The novel opens in September 1535. Thomas Cromwell and King Henry VIII are staying at a manor house known as Wolf Hall, which is owned by the Seymour family. Henry and his companions have spent the summer traveling to different country estates owned by noble families, which the families consider a great honor. Several problems weigh on both Cromwell and Henry. Henry declared his marriage to his first wife, Katherine, invalid and remarried his current wife, Anne Boleyn; this has created political tension since Katherine’s nephew is the Holy Roman Emperor, who is considering declaring war on England. Henry has broken with the Catholic Church, which puts him on hostile terms with the Pope and Catholic monarchies such as France and creates an unsettled atmosphere among the English people.

Cromwell and Henry spend time with the Seymour family: Sir John has two sons, Edward and Thomas, and a young daughter named Jane. Observing the family sometimes stirs up grief in Cromwell; his wife and two daughters have predeceased him although he still has one son, Gregory. Cromwell confides to Edward Seymour that there is tension between himself and Queen Anne: Since Anne has not yet given birth to a son, she feels insecure in her position and is extremely jealous of Henry’s first wife, Katherine, and Princess Mary, who is Katherine and Henry’s daughter.