The story of a kid from the back streets who wants to become king of Paris. Brought up among petty thieves, he becomes their leader through an audacious and elegant coup which wins him the love of the beautiful Venus.

In the 18th century, Louis de Bourguignon is working with the Malichot's gang, but their ways are too 'unethical' for him. He creates his own band, acting under the name of Cartouche, making audacious robberies of the rich people, and even distributing the takings with the poor. Thus, cartouche attracts the people's sympathies, Venus's love, and hate from the Police and Malichot... Cartouche can escape all the traps they set at him - except the entrapments of love. Eventually, he will be saved by a woman, at her own cost.—Artemis-9

Louis-Dominique Bourguignon is the champion robber of the Paris underground, but leads a failed revolt against the abusive king of thieves Malichot, who keeps an excessive share. Forced to flee, Dominque joins the army with two loyal friends, shrewd La Taupe and giant La Douceur, under an incompetent colonel and a senile marshal, who praise them as sole survivors -actually cowardly hiding- in a battle against the Austrians, but fail to actually reward them. Dominique deserts, assuming the alias Cartouche, starting his own, brilliant brigand career. He robs his way back to Paris, where his proteges are abused by both Malichot, who violates Dominique's true lover Vénus, and the royal authorities, notably sadistic police chief Gaston de Ferrussac, whose equally aristocratic wife Isabelle has a crush on Cartouche. Despite his skills, he ends up captured, but a rescue is mounted.—KGF Vissers