The Scarlet Pimpernel is a historical adventure novel by Baroness Orczy, set during the French Revolution (1792). It is one of the earliest and most famous spy and superhero-like adventure stories, influencing later heroes like Batman and Zorro.

During the Reign of Terror in revolutionary France, thousands of aristocrats face execution by the guillotine. However, a mysterious English nobleman known only as "The Scarlet Pimpernel" daringly rescues them and smuggles them to safety in England. His identity is unknown, but he leaves behind his signature symbol-a red pimpernel (a small flower)-as his calling card.