When a nobleman murders his best friend, a lawyer becomes a revolutionary with his heart set on vengeance.

A law student in 18th-century France becomes an outlaw French revolutionary when he decides to avenge the unjust killing of his friend. To get close to the aristocrat who has killed his friend, the student adopts the identity of Scaramouche the clown.—Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>

During the reign of Louis XVI, France, in disarray, comes under the rule of an all-powerful nobility who rule the state under force. André-Louis Moreau, a Paris law student, has returned to his provincial hometown of Gavrillac, where he hopes to reconnect with his best friend, Philippe de Vilmorin, who plans to entering the priesthood, and Aline de Kercadiou, the niece of his godfather Quintin de Kercadiou, whom André has always loved. The Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr, a nobleman and expert swordsman who owns much land in the region, in a duel kills Philippe, who believed the noble class used their power to inflict hardship on the masses. Philippe, no swordsman, had no chance in the duel. as not ever being a swordsman. To avenge Philippe's death in what he believes to be a cowardly act by the Marquis, André decides to take up Philippe's gospel of freedom, much of it against the Marquis specifically. André's intentions are against the advice of his godfather, who wants to see a union between the Marquis and Aline so that she will gain that noble title; she might be so inclined despite her feelings for André. In rallying the masses and in his accusations against the Marquis, André becomes an enemy of the state, so he goes into hiding, most specifically joining a second-rate theater troupe, none of whom know who he is. However, with André's input, the troupe becomes well-respected, its most popular show being "Scaramouche," a masked André portraying the title clown. Despite enjoying a new comfortable life with the troupe, including having a place in heart for the leader's daughter Climène Binet, André, based partly on circumstances of the country, never has either Aline or the Marquis far from his mind or heart. He still seeks revenge, if not for Philippe, then for the good of the general populace of France.—Huggo