D'Artagnan and the aging musketeers come out of retirement to face an impending crisis within the royal court of France. Will the crossed wires of romance cause the downfall of a kingdom? Or will the musketeers prevail once again? It is the summer of 1661, and the royal court of France is in shambles over King Louis XIV's lust for power and increasing romantic pursuits. Raoul de Bragelonne, son of Athos, is in love with Louise de la Valliere and wishes to marry her, but the king refuses to sanction the marriage, choosing instead to send Raoul to England as an indefinite diplomatic envoy. Is the king in love with the gentle, but lowly maid of honor Louise? Or is he pursuing Henrietta, the Duchess d'Orleans? In this continuation to The Vicomte de Bragelonne and Ten Years Later, Dumas continues to weave together the threads of political intrigue, back-door alliances, forbidden romance, and, of course, noble duels.