In Syldavia, a plot is being hatched against the king. Activists in the pay of the neighbouring country, Borduria, want to steal his sceptre, a symbol of the power he holds. Tintin wants to save this small monarchy, lost in the middle of the Balkans, and its illustrious representative, Muskar XII. Hunted by the henchmen of the Z.Z.R.K. (Zyldav Zentral Revolutzionär Komitzät), Tintin flees through the dark forests of Syldavia. His legendary intuition allows him to escape the ambush of Sirov and Zlop. After a brief stop at the Auberge de la Couronne, he climbed into the Cadillac of a diva from La Scala in Milan. He will get off quite quickly, under the first pretext that comes along: the song of the Milanese Nightingale has literally traumatized him!
