Convict Jean Valjean makes an enemy of the cruel guard Javert, but, on release, is moved by the kindness of a bishop, who saves him from being re-arrested.
After the passage of several years, Jean Valjean has unexpectedly become a success - he is now the owner of a factory and the mayor of Montreuil. But then he meets the town's new police chief, none other than his old nemesis, Javert.