The story begins with the 1672 lynching of the Dutch Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis by a wild mob of their own countrymen, considered by many as one of the most painful episodes in Dutch history, described by Dumas with a dramatic intensity. The city of Haarlem, Netherlands, has set a prize of ƒ100, 000 to the person who can grow a black tulip, sparking competition between the country's best gardeners to win the money, honor and fame. Only the city's oldest...
