The man in the Iron Mask is the final episode in the cycle of novels featuring Dumas' celebrated foursome of D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, who first appeared in the Three Musketeers. Some 35 years on, the obnds of comradeshio are under strain as they end up on different sides in a power struggle that may undermine the young Louis XIV and change the face of the French monarchy.