Summer 1572. The young Pierre de Siorac, son of a Huguenot nobleman from Périgord and a newly minted physician, must flee to the capital due to a duel that threatens him with the death penalty, in order to plead for the king's mercy. He is tolerant in faith and quick-witted, cunning, and intelligent in life, and he possesses an irresistible charm with women—talents that prove very useful in his perilous undertaking. He gets to know the Paris of the common people, as well as the grand, gloomy Louvre. He courts high-ranking ladies, who are true courtesans, and encounters the favorites of the princes as well as the great minds of the time. Thanks to his resourcefulness, he is eventually introduced to the king and receives his pardon. However, a murderous religious war between Catholics and Huguenots has been raging in France for ten years.