Jeanne Vaubernier, a working-class woman determined to climb the social ladder, uses her charms to escape her impoverished condition. Her lover, the Comte du Barry, grown rich thanks to Jeanne’s amorous intrigues, wishes to present her to the King and orchestrates a meeting through the influential Duke of Richelieu. The encounter goes far beyond his expectations: for Louis XV and Jeanne, it’s love at first sight.

Through the courtesan, the king rediscovers his appetite for life: so much that he can no longer live without her and decides to make her his official favourite.

Scandal ensues. No one wants a girl from the streets at Court.