Set in Renaissance England, The Prince and the Pauper tells the story of Tom Canty, a ragged pauper, and young Edward VI, only son of Henry VIII, who miraculously look exactly alike. Almost by accident, the boys exchange places a few days before Henry's death and Edward's coronation, leaving Tom to the role of future king and Edward to the mercy of the beggars' underworld of London. A rousing tale of mistaken identity, The Prince and the Pauper reveals a side of Mark Twain seldom seen.