It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It is the year 1775, and the lives of the French common folk are getting worse. This classic story tells the story of Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette, a man who has been cleared of treason and a woman who’s father, Dr. Manette, has been wrongly imprisoned for ten years in France. Dr. Manette has times where he falls back into the state of mind that he was in while in the prison, Bastille. This condition is worrisome for Lucie, Charles, Mr. Lorry (a banker who is a family friend) and the maid Miss Pross.

However, the already shaky French political standings take a turn for the worse when a group of French common people begin murdering aristocrats, including Charles’s uncle. The French Revolution begins, with the peasants of Paris attacking the prison of Bastille. One of the uncle’s servants is unfairly taken prisoner, and sends word to Charles for aid. Being a compassionate man, Mr. Darnay decides to comply, and sets out for France. Despite living in England, his ties to the French aristocracy make him swiftly arrested for being an emigrant.

Hearing this, Lucie, her child, and Doctor Manette travel to Paris to try and save Charles. During his trial, Dr. Manette testifies and this sways the jury to set Charles free. Be that as it may, the family is taken unawares that night when Mr. Darnay is yet again arrested. In a country full of spies, revolutionaries, and executions, does Charles have any hope of escaping this time? Will the guillotine claim his life, leaving Lucie a widow? Read A Tale of Two Cities to find out.