

In Belle Époque Paris, a 19th century Parisian aristocrat (Jeremy Irons) falls in love with a lower-class prostitute (Ornella Muti) who seduces him but never loves him.

The scene is a pre-French Revolution Bastille, where various political prisoners are being held: a woman who was raped and impregnated by the king, a police chief who was accused of selling bad pork, and the Marquis, who was unjus...