For young and pretty Fleurette the revolution seems far away until an aristocratic neighbouring family is threatened. Now, the dangers are all too real, and she is accused of being a traitor. Fleurette's father is ironically Armand Chauvelin, the infamous prosecutor and a man who sent many people on the guillotine. For the first time the villainous agent is forced to ask his arch-enemy, the heroic Scarlet Pimpernel, for help.

Baroness Emmuska Orczy (1865-1947) was a Hungarian-born British novelist and playwright. She is best known for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel, the alter ego of Sir Percy Blakeney, a wealthy English fop who transforms into a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist, establishing the "hero with a secret identity" into popular culture.