Born into poverty, Marquise (Sophie Marceau, BRAVEHEART) is a promiscuous young woman who uses her exquisite beauty and seductive dancing to earn a living. When the distinguished Molière and his theater troupe come to town, Marquise mesmerizes the men, especially the lead actor, Gros René, who falls in love with her and asks for her hand in marriage. She agrees on the condition that she joins the group to become an actress, thus beginning her rise to the greatest stages in France, the tutelage of playwright Jean Racine (Lambert Wilson, THE MATRIX Trilogy), and the favor of the Sun King, Louis XIV.