In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean is a former prisoner who was jailed for stealing bread and has worked to atone for his past. But his new life remains shadowed by Javert, a relentless policeman obsessed with bringing him back into custody. As their pursuit consumes both men, Valjean is drawn into the turmoil of the June Rebellion of 1832 and the student revolutions unfolding around him.