Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, this is an epic tale of love, honour and obsession against the dramatic background of the French Revolution. Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson) lives a life on the run for the crime of stealing a loaf of bread.

Settling in a remote town, he devotes himself to the care of the poor, including the beautiful, young and poverty stricken Fantine (Uma Thurman). When Fantine dies, she leaves a daughter, Cosette (Claire Danes), who Valjean raises. But they are hunted by Javert (Geoffrey Rush), a policeman whose lifelong search for Valjean has become an obsession. A hunt begins that will come to a final conclusion on the revolution-torn streets of Paris.