February 1626. Cardinal Richelieu is the first minister and de facto head of state. Some call him a despot, others - a patriot. Out of hatred for Richelieu's politics, the freedom-loving city of La Rochelle takes the side of the enemies of France. Paris is overrun with hungry vagabonds, spies and adventurers. In the king's family, relations between Louis XIII and his brother Gaston d'Orléans become strained. The court intriguer Duchess de Chevreuse decides to use the alarming situation to destroy her old enemy. The novel is based on the events of the famous conspiracy of the Comte de Chalet.