Summary
In the dissolute court of Gravania, the profligate Prince Ludwig maintains his scandalous lifestyle by deploying his uncanny doppelgänger, the loyal servant Enrico, to impersonate him. Enrico, a man of sincere affections, is devoted to Valerie, a steadfast peasant girl who reciprocates his love. This fragile idyll shatters when the capricious Prince, encountering Valerie, becomes infatuated and, scorned by her fidelity to Enrico, resorts to abduction, confining her within the palace. A twist of fate leads Enrico to Valerie’s desperate plea, precipitating her escape through a hidden passage. The Prince’s subsequent enraged return escalates into a fatal confrontation, leaving Ludwig dead by Enrico’s hand. Almost simultaneously, news of the King’s demise arrives, propelling Enrico, now cloaked in the Prince’s identity, onto the precipice of regal power. When Ludwig’s body, mistakenly identified as the servant’s, is discovered, the newly installed “servant-king” becomes embroiled in accusations of murder, prompting the wary cabinet to plot his eradication. Driven by an urgent desire to reunite with Valerie and reveal his true self, Enrico seeks her out, unwittingly walking into a meticulously orchestrated trap. Valerie, recognizing her beloved, desperately attempts to aid his escape, but the net of ambition and circumstance closes inexorably, claiming Enrico as its final, tragic victim.
Prince Ludwig, of Gravania, is very wild and indulges himself in many dissipations which reflect no credit on the good name of the reigning family. He has a double in his servant Enrico whom he dresses in his uniform when he leaves the palace so that his absence will not be noticed. Enrico is in love with a pretty peasant girl, Valerie, who in turn is faithful to him. On one of the rides through the royal parks Prince Ludwig sees the girl and falls desperately in love with her. True to Enrico, however, she repulses the Prince. He not being used to have his wishes frustrated has the girl kidnapped and brought to his room in the palace. Before the Prince returns Enrico accidentally enters. Valerie tells him of her plight and he helps her escape through a secret passage. Valerie has no sooner disappeared from the room than the Prince enters and a quarrel starts between him and his servant in which the Prince is killed. News comes almost simultaneously that the king is dead, and Enrico dressing himself in the prince's uniform goes out and passes himself off as the prince. Later the body of the supposed servant, but in reality the prince is found, and the blame is laid upon the newly made servant-king. The cabinet decides to make way with the king because of his scoundrelly action in killing his servant. When Enrico goes to the home of Valerie to declare himself truly the trap is laid by the chief of police. Valerie recognizes her true lover and tries to aid him to escape, but the paths are too well guarded and the false Enrico falls a victim to his own ambition.
