Summary
In the labyrinthine milieu of wartime Paris, Prince Kondemarck, a formidable chief of German intelligence, is tasked with an imperative: secure the unparalleled services of a woman possessing both acute intellect and captivating beauty. His gaze falls upon Liane Dore, the recently widowed enigma whose husband, Sebastian Dore, met a mysterious end. Liane, consumed by a fervent vow of retribution, agrees to Kondemarck's audacious proposal, contingent upon his promise to unmask her husband's killer within a year. Unbeknownst to the grief-stricken Liane, the architect of her sorrow is none other than the Prince himself, a tragic consequence of Sebastian Dore's duplicitous affair with Kondemarck's sister, wherein Dore had masqueraded as an eligible bachelor. As their clandestine association deepens, navigating the perilous currents of espionage, an unforeseen and potent romance blossoms between the spy and her enigmatic handler. The advent of global conflict sees Liane transform her abode into a sanctuary for wounded French soldiers, a humanitarian act soon exploited by Baron Arnorld von Pollnitz, a German operative driven by a personal vendetta against Kondemarck. Pollnitz, in a calculated act of malice, exposes Liane as a spy, leading to her swift arrest and a grim death sentence. It is Kondemarck, her unwitting adversary and burgeoning lover, who orchestrates her dramatic rescue. The revelation of her rescuer's true identity—the man responsible for Sebastian's death—plunges Liane into a profound moral quandary, teetering on the precipice of betrayal. However, Kondemarck, in a desperate bid for absolution, produces irrefutable correspondence detailing Sebastian's profound perfidy, thereby vindicating his own actions and shattering Liane's idealized image of her late spouse. With their intertwined fates irrevocably sealed, the star-crossed lovers embark on a perilous flight aboard Kondemarck's yacht, seeking refuge from the maelstrom of war and their complicated past.
Synopsis
Chief of the German secret service in Paris, Prince Kondemarck has been ordered to secure for his government the service of the most clever and beautiful woman obtainable. Liane Dore, widow of the late Sebastian Dore, who was killed mysteriously, agrees to serve on the prince's promise to reveal in one year the name of the man who killed her husband, against whom she has sworn vengeance. Unknown to Liane, the prince himself accidentally killed Dore who, posing as a bachelor, betrayed the prince's sister. In the course of their association as spies, Liane and the prince fall in love. When war comes, Liane throws her home open to wounded Frenchmen, and Baron Arnorld von Pollnitz, a German spy seeking revenge on the prince, denounces Liane as a spy. Arrested and sentenced to death, she is saved by the prince. After learning that her rescuer was her husband's killer, Liane is on the verge of betraying him when he produces letters which prove her husband's duplicity, and together they flee on board the prince's yacht.
