After 19 years as a prisoner, Jean Valjean is freed by Javert, the officer in charge of the prison workforce. Valjean violates his freedom and later uses the stolen money to reinvent himself as a mayor and factory owner. For his part, Javert promises to take Valjean back to prison. Eight years later, Valjean becomes the guardian of a child named Cosette after the death of his mother, but Javert's persecution means that peace will be long in coming.
