The sequel to The Three Musketeers, set in France during the troubled years of the Fronde, when nobles and Parliament rose against the crown. Two decades have passed, and d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis have drifted apart, each with new loyalties and different views of the political struggle.
Cardinal Mazarin needs d'Artagnan's skill, and events in England also draw the friends into the fate of King Charles I. The novel is a livelier and more reflective follow-up, about aging, divided allegiance and old friendship.