The scene then transitions to the fictional European constitutional monarchy of Boufferia, which is racked by economic chaos and political unrest. The nation's major political factions - monarchists, liberals, fascists, and socialists - squabble fruitlessly in parliament, while the common people grow increasingly radicalized by the example of the USSR, with which Boufferia shares a heavily militarized border. The king is unable to exert a stabilizing influence, being only a boy of seven, so the country's secret rulers - a cabal of wealthy capitalists - decide to replace him with a more mature and capable figure. They conclude that most suitable candidate is the prince Do (Anatoly Ktorov), a dissipated playboy living abroad and mired in debt.
