After the Battle of Worcester at the end of the Second English Civil War, the main aim of General Oliver Cromwell (John Le Mesurier) is to capture Charles II of England (Gary Raymond), son of the executed Charles I of England. However, the dashing Royalist hero nicknamed The Moonraker (George Baker (actor)) prepares to smuggle him to safety in France, under the noses of Cromwell's soldiers. According to the story, the hero is named after the smuggler term, Moonrakers, who were sometimes claimed to hide contraband in the village pond and to rake it out by moonlight.