The Heir Apparent - Recap

Jim arrives at a park and picks up his briefing from an out-of-service phone booth. Archbishop Djelvas is the religious leader of Povia and must appoint a successor to the recently-deceased king. General Envir Quisette plans to overthrow the country unless he is named regent. The IMF must keep Povia from becoming a military dictatorship and stop Quisette.

In the briefing, a blindfolded Cinnamon reads raised bumps on a series of wooden panels. Jim warns that the puzzle box is hidden in a vault that only can be reached by a tunnel from the prison area. Rollin and Cinnamon have reviewed the files on the aged Princess Celine, and the IMF has spread rumors in Povia that Celine could still be alive.

Quisette is reviewing his plans to take over the country and wonders if the Archbishop is spreading rumors of Celine. Near the cathedral by the vault room, Jim is present as a tourist and Cinnamon as a nun. Barney is disguised as a monk and Barney is a worker on the display cases.

Quisette confronts the Archbishop about the rumors and insists that he be declared Regent. The Archbishop remains defiant.

At the church, Willy uses acid to cut through a case containing relics while Jim distracts the guards by taking photos. Cinnamon goes into a confessional and attaches a packet to the bottom of the shelf using suction cups. Willy grabs a necklace and Barney has him sent over to help with his incense censor. They use the censor to make a duplicate of the necklace but then “accidentally” drop it. The guards quickly arrest Barney and Willy. Quisette’s man Zageb interrogates them and they only say an anonymous man, a professor, hired them to make an impression and there was an older blind woman present. They give up the hotel room where they meet them, and Zageb goes there to find them absent but finds their plan to pass off their old woman as Celine, including x-rays of a broken arm.

In the prison cells, Barney and Willy put up a brief fight to ensure they’re put in the right solitary cell. Zageb has identified the doctor who took the x-ray as an elderly man (Rollin), just before Celine died. Rollin is brought in and confirms that the x-ray was stolen from him. The x-ray belonged to a blind woman and finally identifies her as Princess Celine.

In his cell, Willy breaks apart his glasses and the lenses are sharpened so they can cut through the mortar and get a block free into the old tunnel. Rollin confirms that the x-ray shows that Celine’s arm would have been useless due to an accident, and Quisette takes him into protective custody so he can testify later.

Jim and Cinnamon go in and Quisette and Zageb break in on him, demanding to speak with Cinnamon. She comes in, provided with aged makeup and blinded by eye drops. Cinnamon puts on a convincing act and is able to answer every question he has, despite the fact she is an imposter set up by Jim. He notices a scar on her arm but her arm is clearly working, confirming (to Quisette) that she’s an imposter. Jim says he found her in an asylum suffering from amnesia, but Quisette demands the truth and Jim “confesses” he doesn’t know who Cinnamon really is, but she believes she’s Celine. Quisette suggests that he help her fool the Archbishop, and will challenge Cinnamon at every step to make the act appear convincing. Then Cinnamon will be under his control once she assumes the throne. Jim goes along with Quisette’s scheme after making sure he gets paid.

Barney and Willy escape through the tunnel and get the equipment Cinnamon hid in the confessional, then start tunneling into the vault. Quisette confronts the Archbishop and tells her of Cinnamon, but says she’s a fraud. The Archbishop insists on investigating the matter himself, just as Quisette planned. After the Archbishop leaves, Quisette reveals that he plans to expose Cinnamon as a fraud using the x-ray and Rollin’s testimony, discrediting the Archbishop. They’ll then dispose of Jim and the others.

At the cathedral, Quisette reassures Zageb that only the real Celine could open the puzzle box. Rollin is in the cathedral, ready to testify.

Barney and Willy get into the vault where Barney works to solve the puzzle box while Willy listens as Cinnamon answers Quisette’s questions to the satisfaction of the royal onlookers. Quisette still pretends suspicion even as the family doctor confirms it is Celine.

Barney finally gets the puzzle box open and then they paint small dots on the panels so Cinnamon can “feel” the sequence. The Archbishop prepares to announce Cinnamon is the real Celine when Quisette insists she go to the royal vault and take Celine’s one item. Willy puts a diary into the puzzle box and they slip back out as the vault is opened and Cinnamon selects the puzzle box. Quisette insists that they open it out in the cathedral where everyone can see.

Cinnamon proceeds to open the box, using Barney’s hidden instructions. Meanwhile, Rollin quietly removes his old man make-up and panels on his jacket to alter his appearance. Cinnamon gets the box open and removes the diary, which is of her father. The Archbishop reads it and finds that it incriminates Quisette in the King’s death. Quisette tries to find Rollin to testify against Cinnamon… but the elderly doctor is nowhere to be seen. Rollin just sits there, puzzled, as Quisette rants about a conspiracy and finally admits that he killed Celine by burning down the palace. Quisette and Zageb are taken away while Barney and Willy are released from their cell. The Archbishop swears in Cinnamon even though it’s clear he suspects something is going on. Cinnamon refuses to accept the throne and tells the Archbishop to choose a ruler. Jim escorts Cinnamon out past the adoring crowd and they make their escape.

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