The Scarlet Pimpernel

The French Revolution has begun, and the streets of Paris run red with blood. 


Every aristocrat has been declared a traitor; the guillotine awaits them all. 


Only one man stands in the way of the bloodthirsty mob: The Scarlet Pimpernel—his name taken from the flower he leaves behind as a calling card.


The identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel is a topic of widespread popular interest and he becomes the subject of an international manhunt by the authorities. 


To hide his true identity, he presents himself in everyday life as a dim-witted, foppish playboy. His secret is kept by a band of friends known as the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. The league operates undercover while furthering Sir Percy's rescue plans.


“A thrilling story of the days of the French Revolution…”

—The New York Times


BARONESS EMMA ORCZY (1865 –1947) was a Hungarian-born British novelist, playwright and artist of noble origin. She is most known for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel. Some of her paintings were exhibited at the Royal Academy in London.