Paris, the late 19th-century. Revolutionaries and Monarchists fight in the streets, and the painter Martin Grandjean joins the ranks of those hoping to re-establish the Old Republic. He meets a mysterious young man called Ari and falls in love, only to see Ari taken prisoner. Everyone turns against Grandjean; his friends, his family, and even the government. But Grandjean is determined to find Ari, win his love, and make a life with him.