The Scarlet Pimpernel recap

During the French Revolution, an unknown Englishman called the Scarlet Pimpernel repeatedly saves aristocrats from the guillotine. French agent Chauvelin blackmails Marguerite Blakeney into helping identify him by threatening her brother Armand. She intercepts evidence at a ball and realizes too late that the Pimpernel is her apparently foolish husband, Sir Percy. Hoping to undo her betrayal and save him, she follows Chauvelin to Calais. Percy uses disguises, bribery, and false trails to evade the agent while arranging the rescue of Armand and the Comte de Tournay. Marguerite is caught near the rendezvous, but Percy sends Chauvelin's soldiers in the wrong direction and gets the fugitives aboard his yacht. He and Marguerite reunite, their estrangement ending once each understands the other's courage and loyalty; Chauvelin is left behind, outwitted.

In revolutionary Paris, guards at the city gates struggle to stop an English rescuer called the Scarlet Pimpernel from smuggling condemned aristocrats to safety. His identity is unknown, and he signs messages with a small flower. At the Fisherman's Rest in Dover, landlord Jellyband welcomes Sir Andrew Ffoulkes and Lord Antony Dewhurst, English gentlemen involved in the rescue network. A party of French refugees arrives after another successful escape, including the proud Comtesse de Tournay and her daughter Suzanne. They are soon joined by Marguerite Blakeney, a celebrated French actress, and her wealthy husband Sir Percy, whose foppish clothes and foolish manner make him an object of amusement. The Comtesse publicly rejects Marguerite because an earlier denunciation by her led to deaths in the St. Cyr family.

Marguerite's brilliant public manner hides an unhappy marriage. She insists that her part in the St. Cyr denunciation was an angry mistake rather than deliberate murder, but Percy withdrew his love after learning of it, and neither has overcome enough pride to speak openly. Marguerite's brother Armand returns to France despite the danger, after a warm farewell that shows how much she depends on him. Chauvelin, an agent of the Republic, arrives in England with orders to identify and capture the Scarlet Pimpernel. He approaches Marguerite as an old acquaintance and makes clear that her social access could help him. During an attack on two League members, Chauvelin obtains a letter connecting Armand to the fugitives, giving him the leverage he needs to force Marguerite's cooperation.

At Lord Grenville's ball, Chauvelin threatens to send evidence of Armand's treason to the French authorities unless Marguerite discovers the Pimpernel's identity. She reluctantly watches Sir Andrew and intercepts a note arranging a meeting in the library at one o'clock. The note leads Chauvelin to conclude that the sleeping man in the room is the League's leader, though Marguerite cannot see the man's face before events separate them. Chauvelin releases the incriminating letter as promised, but Marguerite is sickened by what her bargain may cost. She tries to confide in Percy and appeal to the love they once shared. His restraint makes her believe reconciliation may still be possible, while his unexplained interest in the events of the night leaves her uncertain what he knows.

Back at Richmond, Marguerite learns that Percy is leaving unexpectedly for the Continent. Searching his private room after his departure, she finds the emblem of the scarlet pimpernel and realizes that her seemingly idle husband is the daring leader she has just exposed. His foolishness has been a disguise maintained even inside their marriage. Determined to warn him and save both Percy and Armand, she seeks help from Sir Andrew, admits what Chauvelin forced her to do, and travels with him across the Channel. Storms and delays increase the risk that Chauvelin will reach Percy first. In Calais, the agent establishes himself at a rough inn and waits for information, while Marguerite and Sir Andrew try to learn Percy's route without drawing attention.

At Brocard's inn in Calais, Marguerite secretly watches Chauvelin confront Percy. Percy maintains his empty-headed manner, calmly eating supper and using pepper to disable the agent long enough to escape. Chauvelin orders roads watched and prepares an ambush at Père Blanchard's hut, where Armand, the Comte de Tournay, and other fugitives expect to meet their rescuer. Marguerite follows despite the danger, hoping to warn Percy before he reaches the trap. Chauvelin's soldiers surround the coast and receive orders to seize the Pimpernel but preserve him long enough to reveal the fugitives' hiding place. Marguerite can no longer tell whether Percy has detected the ambush or whether her attempt to repair her betrayal has only placed her within Chauvelin's reach.

Percy adopts the disguise of an impoverished Jewish traveler and persuades Chauvelin to use his cart during the pursuit. By planting misleading evidence and controlling the soldiers' movements, he sends them along a false trail while he reaches the fugitives at Père Blanchard's hut. Marguerite, hiding nearby, is discovered and used as an additional threat, but Percy's plan has already moved Armand, the Comte de Tournay, and the others toward his yacht. Chauvelin's men return to find that both rescuer and prisoners have escaped. Percy finally reveals himself to Marguerite and takes her safely aboard. Knowing his identity and courage ends her contempt for his public mask; knowing how Chauvelin coerced her allows Percy to forgive her apparent betrayal. Reconciled, they sail for England, where Sir Andrew and Suzanne can also look toward marriage, while Chauvelin remains behind in defeat.

At the hut near Calais, Chauvelin waits to seize the Scarlet Pimpernel and the fugitives he is expected to rescue. Sir Percy, disguised as a despised Jewish traveler, has manipulated Chauvelin's soldiers into pursuing a false trail while he reaches the captives. Marguerite is discovered near the hut and threatened, but Percy succeeds in moving the Comte de Tournay, Armand, and their companions to his yacht before revealing himself to her. Chauvelin's men return too late, and his quarry escapes to sea. Marguerite and Percy are reconciled: she now knows the supposedly foolish husband she loves is the League's daring leader, and he understands that her apparent betrayal came from coercion and her attempt to save Armand. Sir Andrew and Suzanne are also free to marry, while Chauvelin is left defeated in France.