Rudolph Rassendyl's quiet life is interrupted by his unexpected and personal involvement in the affairs of Ruritania, whilst travelling through the town of Zenda, finding himself engaged in plans to rescue the imprisoned king.
'We must leave for Zenda at once, to find the King!' cried Sapt. 'If we're caught, we'll all be killed!' So Rudolf Rassendyll and Sapt gallop through the night to find the King of Ruritania. But the King is now a prisoner in the Castle of Zenda. Who will