Based on the classic novel from Victor Hugo, this is an epic tale of love, honour and obsession against the dramatic background of the French Revolution. Jean Valjean (Depardieu) lives a life on the run, his punishment for stealing a loaf of bread when starving. Settling in a remote town, he devotes himself to the care of the poor, including the poverty stricken Fantine. When she dies, her daughter Cosette (Ledoyen) is raised by Valjean but both are haunted by Javert (Malkovich), a policeman whose lifelong search for Valjean has become an obsession...