Stefan Loristan is a Samavian patriot working to overthrow the cruel dictatorship in the kingdom of Samavia. Stefan and his son Marco father come to London where Marco strikes up a friendship with a crippled street urchin known as The Rat. The friendship occurs when Marco overhears The Rat shouting in military form. Marco discovers he had stumbled upon a club known as the Squad, where the boys drill under the leadership of The Rat, whose education and imagination far exceeds their own. Stefan, realizing that two boys are less likely to be noticed, entrusts them with a secret mission to travel across Europe giving the secret sign: ''The Lamp is lighted.''
