Imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean is released from his 19-year term. He changes his name and not only becomes an honest man, but a factory owner and the mayor of a prosperous town -violating his parole in the process. He is consequently pursued by the relentless Inspector Javert, who makes a decent life for Valjean impossible... One of Valjean's workers, Fantine, has had an illegitimate child and she is fired when this is found. Desperate for money for her daughter's medicine, she sells her body as a prostitute. As she argues with a possible customer, she is about to be taken to jail by the same Javert. Before she is taken away, Valjean arrives and as mayor orders Fantine to be taken to a hospital instead. Javert starts being suspicious of the mayor being Valjean. The mayor eventually admits that he is Jean Valjean. As Javert is about to arrest him, Fantine asks him to look over her daughter, Cosette. He agrees, and before she dies he escapes Javert. Eventually, he finds the young Cosette and they move to Paris. Some ten years later, Cosette falls in love with a young man, Marius, who is involved with a group of politically active students who want to start a revolution. Javert is still a constant presence, and Valjean and Cosette are forced to stay out of sight.