Under the sinister influence of Minister of Finance Fouquet, Louis rules with wasteful opulence. His brother Philippe, the rightful heir, lives in obscurity with no knowledge of his birthright. But the captain of the Musketeers, D'Artagnan, has plans to restore the declining fortunes of the throne by secretly substituting Philippe for the King.

Great expectations: From his first terrifying encounter with Magwitch, an escaped convict, Pip's life is enraged with misconceptions about guilt, money, and class, owing to Miss Havisham and Estella's interventions. A tale of two cities: This captivating tale, set in London and Paris at the time of the French Revolution, uses the contrasts between the cities' "beliefs" to reveal the central choice confronting every society and each individual: Should...