Originally convicted of stealing a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean is released from prison.
Having reinvented himself as the mayor of a small town, Jean Valjean meets the penniless, desperate Fantine.
Fantine goes from bad to worse after falling in with the Thenardiers.
Jean Valjean cannot save Fantine.
Believing himself to have failed Fantine, Valjean vows to protect her daughter Cosette.