 Banished to Holland for his carelessness, Sergeant Renault is replaced by Citizen Papillon, a special officer sent from Paris to take over the detachment of the National Guard.Papillon is determined to stop the English spies from causing any more trouble, so when he hears that they are hiding out in a derelict cottage he sends his soldiers to capture them.It soon becomes obvious that the situation has been planned by the Pimpernel as a way to distract the guard while he attempts to rescue a group of priests being held at the nearby Duchess Anne tower.