Greta Garbo stars in one of her greatest roles, as the 17th century Swedish queen fiercely devoted to her country who fights at the head of her army like a man but who loves like a woman--Queen Christina. Crowned queen when she was five years old, the beautiful Christina (Garbo) leads a sexually ambiguous life as she fights to defend her Protestant country against the Counterreformation, dressing as a man and vowing to live as a bachelor. Christina has built her country into a formidable military power, defeating the armies of the Vatican and threatening Russia, and she has agreed to wed the King of Spain--not for love, but to guarantee her country's peace and security. But Christina loses her heart to the King's ambassador (John Gilbert)--and she must choose between her duty to her country and the man she loves.