Jean-Jacques Daubin

A strong-willed peasant girl is sent by her father to the estate of some local aristocrats to capitalize on a rumour that their families are from the same line. This fateful visit commences an epic narrative of sex, class, betrayal, and revenge.

Cardinal Mazarin dies, leaving a power vacuum in which the young Louis asserts his intention to govern as well as rule. Mazarin's fiscal advisor, Colbert, warns against Fouquet, the Superintendant who has been systematically looting the treasury and wants to be prime minister. Fouquet believes Louis will soon tire of exercizing power and overplays his hand by offering a bribe to Louis' mistress to be his ally. She reports this to the king who arrests Fouquet. Louis and Colbert design a brilliant strategy to keep merchants making money, nobles in debt, the urban poor working and fed, and peasants untaxed.

A young crook called Joë Caligula and his crew make war on a Parisian gang.

Although suspected and hunted down by policeman Sherlock Coco and inspector Hector, the Pieds Nickelés (Croquignol, Filochard and Ribouldingue) manage to save the legacy of Monsieur Miradoux, who will be very grateful to them.

Count Fernand du Bois d'Enghien typifies the pleasure seeker and as such he has a mistress of course, star singer Lucette Gauthier. But now Fernand feels it is time for him to tie the knot. For that, pretty Viviane Duverger is the ideal prey. The trouble is that the explosive Lucette does not hear it that way. Fortunately for Bois d'Enghien, Urugua, a rich South American general, falls in love with Lucette.

Thanks to a bit of string-pulling by his aunt, Jean du Bois d'Ombelles, a young recruit who has blue blood in his veins, hopes to go through a nice and comfortable military service. Unfortunately he becomes Corporal Bourrache's pet aversion. Nevertheless, against all expectations, Jean ends up taking a liking for military life.