Prester John tells the tale of John Laputa, a celebrated Zulu minister who has taken the title of the mythical priest-king Prester John. We see the story through the eyes of nineteen-year-old David Crawfurd, a young Scot in South Africa working as a storekeeper: Crawfurd he finds himself at the heart of a massive uprising of the people -- and holding the key to Prester John's secret.