Plague Runner

The film opens in 1655 at the College of Physicians in London, and a medical lecture given by Dr Selwyn Fletcher. His 20-year-old son, Laurence proudly assists with an experiment into blood-letting. At the end of the lecture Dr Fletcher is showered with praise by attending physicians while his arch rival Frenchman Dr Lancelot Cnut seethes quietly at the back of the lecture hall. We enter at a low point of the life of Dr Fletcher’s son Laurence (now 30 years old). Fletcher’s apothecary (jointly owned with best friend Barry Kettle) is not drawing in customers and despite the usual rush on tobacco delivery days Fletcher is worried that he and Kettle may have to cease trading. He is also still reeling from being dumped at the altar by his fiancée Kate and wants to make something of his life to win her back. After trying various ruses, the Great Plague strikes and customers are yet again drained from the shop. To make matters worse the shop is closed by order of the State because it falls inside a plague zone. Now desperately searching for some other way to win back Kate Fletcher opts to try to find a cure for the disease, a project he eventually convinces Barry to help with. They set up a mortuary in a nearby disused theatre. Seeking more bodies to research Fletcher pressgangs Kettle to help him to snatch dead victims from the street under the cover of darkness. To Fletcher’s frustration Kettle insists mortician Annis, who the pair met at a hospital mortuary, helps them with their research. Her input however is a game-changer. Doctor Cnut, having already been gazumped by Fletcher’s father ten years ago is determined to foil Fletcher’s plans, and begins to steal Fletcher’s valuable project notes in an effort to take the credit for the plague’s cure. Fletcher is at last on the verge of discovering the cause of the plague when Annis becomes sick and dies. On the morning of her death Dr Cnut and several Watchmen (policemen) raid the old theatre and try to arrest the pair. Confident of his ability to wipe Fletcher and Kettle from the face of the Earth Cnut reveals to them his conclusion about the cause of the plague; after reading Fletcher’s work it is clear to him that fleas are responsible for the spread of the disease. The pair escapes and hides in their closed down apothecary. Fletcher has at the front of his mind the necessity to tell the Professor Morrice the true cause of the plague. He leaves on one last mercy mission but on his way to the College he is arrested by Watchmen for the murder of Cnut. Kettle soon joins him in a prison cell and they are both sentenced to hang. Now autumn 1666, the pair arrives at Tyburn gallows. Fletcher sees Morrice in the crowd and tells him his findings but the professor is unimpressed. The execution goes ahead as planned but just before Fletcher, Kettle and Eppie are hanged a commotion from the city is heard. The Great Fire has started and has sent a flood of panicked Londoners towards the gallows. As a throng of people escaping the flames knocks down the gallows the three manage to escape.