This literary detective story throws light on the problem of what Shakespeare was doing between leaving school and appearing as an actor and playwright in London. Bringing forward historic and documentary evidence, this text argues that Shakespeare worked as a schoolmaster and player for a wealthy Catholic landowner in Lancashire and later for the Earl of Derby. One of the book's conclusions is that Shakespeare was probably a Roman Catholic. Step by step, this story of patronage, recusancy and aspiring talent is pursued through complex family relationships.