A semi-barbaric king tries accused men in a public arena: behind one door waits a hungry tiger, behind the other a lady the prisoner must marry on the spot. When a handsome youth of low station is caught loving the king’s daughter, the princess learns which door hides which fate, and her lover looks to her for a sign.
Stockton’s puzzle first appeared in The Century in 1882 and readers have argued over its answer ever since. Download the free EPUB.