Edmond Dantes has been wrongly accused of a plot against the post-Napoleonic French government. Condemned to a prison cell in the impenetrable Chateau D'If, Dantes vows vengeance against the four conspirators who framed him. He is particularly anxious to give his ex-friend Mondego his comeuppance, since it was Mondego who married Dantes' fiancee Mercedes. Twelve years pass; with the help of ancient fellow prisoner Abbe Foria, Dantes digs his way out of the Chateau D'If and escapes. He finds the treasure of Monte Cristo, which makes him the wealthiest man in the world.. He uses his riches to put his plan of revenge into motion, methodically destroying every one of his enemies. Though he lives for vengeance, Dantes--alias the Count of Monte Cristo--has his humanity restored by the love of Mercedes, who despite her marriage has always remained spiritually faithful to him..