Mid-15th century. The last battles of the Hundred Years' War, which depopulated entire regions of unfortunate Europe, died down, and life in France began to improve. The young scion of an ancient knightly family, Gilbert de Vergie, is bored in his family castle, listening to the endless memories of his father and his comrades, and dreams of the glory of a royal poet and musician. He has been in love with music since childhood, and he prefers the sound of a lute to the sound of swords. Finally, an incident - a scandalous story with a young commoner - helped the young dunce fulfill his dream. The angry father sends the unlucky child out of the house to begin an independent life, and the joyful Gilbert sets off with his faithful servant towards adventure...