Summary
In the volatile political climate of 1926, The Love Thief weaves a sophisticated tapestry of duty and desire against the backdrop of two fictional European kingdoms. To prevent a catastrophic conflict, a diplomatic marriage is orchestrated between Crown Prince Boris of Moraine and Princess Flavia of Norvia. However, the gears of statecraft are jammed by the ambitions of Prince Karl, a man who sees the union as a ladder to absolute power. Boris, portrayed with a rugged independence, rebels against the cold machinery of his station. In a moment of classic Ruritanian mistaken identity, he encounters Flavia in a secluded garden, unaware of her true title. Believing her to be a mere cousin to the princess, he falls into a genuine, unforced love that makes his arranged obligations impossible to stomach. The narrative spirally downward into a plot of abdication, accusations of cowardice, and a desperate wedding-day gambit where Boris must reclaim his honor and his bride through a daring substitution at the altar.
Synopsis
To avert war between their countries an official marriage is arranged between Crown Prince Boris of Moraine and Princess Flavia of Norvia. Prince Karl of Norvia sees in the alliance an opportunity to gain control of both kingdoms but upon visiting Boris finds him unyielding and independent. Flavia, shedding her stately dignity in the palace garden, is accosted by the flirtatious Boris, who believes her to be the princess' cousin; and falling in love, he realizes that he cannot go through with the planned marriage. Karl plots to have Boris abdicate, and at the pleas of the minister, Boris refuses to fight the regent and is disgraced. To assure his safety, Princess Flavia agrees to marry the imbecile prince, Michael; Boris is secretly substituted for Michael at the wedding, and though Karl protests, the ceremony proceeds. The regent's duplicity is exposed by Flavia, and all ends happily.
