It is famous for building upon a hypothesis of the Man in the Iron Mask. In the English translations this large volume is usually subdivided into three, four or even five individual books, with the final volume titled The Man in the Iron Mask.
The action takes place between 1660 and 1673. The hero is the young Raoul de Bragelone, son of the Comte de la Fère, formerly know as Athos.
As usual with Dumas, this new hero is based on a real character, Raoul de Braguelongue, who was in love with Louise de La Vallière, who in turn preferred King Louis XIV.
It is the third and last of the D'Artagnan Romances after The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After.