Itas 1916, and timeas running out for Scott Joplin. Before he dies, he wants to provide for his wife and secure his place in musical history. Heas written a musical drama, and his young piano student, Martin Niederhofferawho works as a bookkeeper at Waterson, Berlin, and Snyder Music Publishersa convinces him to try to get Irving Berlin to publish and produce the work. The next day, Niederhoffer walks into his office and finds Joplin crouched over the blood-soaked body of a young man. He hustles his teacher away; unfortunately, the two are seen leaving the building.
Nell Stark, daughter of Joplinas first publisher, John Stark, hides Joplin and Niederhoffer from the police. In trying to sort out the mess, she calls her father in from St. Louis. After Berlin flatly denies ever having received Joplinas play, young Niederhoffer breaks cover and engages the services of hit man Footsie Vinny, who gives Berlin a five-day deadline to come up with the manuscript. And just when things couldnat get worse, Niederhofferas girlfriend, Birdie, is kidnapped. Can Nell and John exonerate the ailing musician before it is too late?
The King of Ragtime is the second installment in the Ragtime series.

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Brun Campbell, a 15-year-old piano fool, gets to play Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" one 1898 afternoon in Oklahoma City. It's destiny calling. Though he tries for ragtime lessons, he's told no--"Ragtime is colored music" So Brun runs away from the family home in El Reno, Oklahoma, to Sedalia, Missouri, to persuade Joplin to take him on as a pupil. What Brun doesn't expect is to trip over the body of a young woman--he thinks at first she's a log and thoughtlessly picks up a couple of items before he rushes away.