Jean-Jacques Daubin

Na Inglaterra do século 19, a bela Tess, filha de um fazendeiro, é enviada para viver com parentes nobres. Ela é seduzida e abandonada por seu primo distante, Alec. De volta à fazenda de seu pai, ela dá à luz um bebê natimorto e enfrenta a hipocrisia da sociedade. Baseado no romance de Thomas Hardy.

Cardinal Mazarin dies, leaving a power vacuum in which the young Louis asserts his intention to govern as well as rule. Mazarin's fiscal advisor, Colbert, warns against Fouquet, the Superintendant who has been systematically looting the treasury and wants to be prime minister. Fouquet believes Louis will soon tire of exercizing power and overplays his hand by offering a bribe to Louis' mistress to be his ally. She reports this to the king who arrests Fouquet. Louis and Colbert design a brilliant strategy to keep merchants making money, nobles in debt, the urban poor working and fed, and peasants untaxed.

A young crook called Joë Caligula and his crew make war on a Parisian gang.

Thanks to a bit of string-pulling by his aunt, Jean du Bois d'Ombelles, a young recruit who has blue blood in his veins, hopes to go through a nice and comfortable military service. Unfortunately he becomes Corporal Bourrache's pet aversion. Nevertheless, against all expectations, Jean ends up taking a liking for military life.

Although suspected and hunted down by policeman Sherlock Coco and inspector Hector, the Pieds Nickelés (Croquignol, Filochard and Ribouldingue) manage to save the legacy of Monsieur Miradoux, who will be very grateful to them.