Play Summary for
Les Misérables

     Six years later, Valjean, having assumed the identity of Monsieur Madeleine, has become a wealthy factory owner and is appointed mayor of his adopted town. He has brought a sense of livelihood and relative prosperity to the town, and for that he has been rewarded. It is here that he meets the dying Fantine. Turning to prostitution aftger being fired from her job, Fantine is also driven by her past. Her young daughter Cosette, born to her only after she is left unexpectedly by the young lover, is center of Fantine's life. When she first encounters Madame Thénardier, in a picture that Hugo paits as the unfit mother meeting the ideal one. Fantine decides that the only way to provide a life for Cosette is to leave her in a better situation. Fantine is not aware that the woman that she has met is the cruel wife of the corrupt Monsieur Thénardier. Losing her struggle with but doing whatever necessary (including sending unfortunate amounts of unneeded money to the Thénardiers,) Fantine begins to die. Jean Valjean, again in his life of continual repentance of his past, promises her that he will find and take care of Cosette.
     Javert is first to question the identity of Madeleine; Javert has only known one other man with strength shown by Madeline when he saves Fauchelevant from being crushed by the cart. When confronted, Jean Valijean learns of a man on trail for geing mistakenly idenfified as Baljean. To save the man, Valjean fakes a death by drowning and again escapes. Upholding his promise to Fantine, he finds and pays off the innkeeper Thénardier; together, he and Cosette flee to Paris and take shelter in a convent.
     Ten years later, as Cosette and Valjean are leaving the convent, students, led by Enjolras, are preparing a revolution on the eve of the Paris uprising on June 5-6, 1832, following the death of General Lamarque, the only French leader who had sympathy towards the working class. They are also joined by the poor, including the young street urchin Gavroche, the estranged son of the Thénardiers.
     As the plot develops and Valjean and Cosette find themselves again connected to the Thénardiers (also under a new identity, at first unknown to Thénardier). Marius falls, almost instantly, in love with Cosette. Once their identity is known, the Thénardiers, now disguised as the Jondrette family, lead a gang of thieves to capture and torture Valjean in an attempt to get back Cosette. However the plan is foiled by Thénardier's daughter, Éponine, who is also in love with Marius, when she convinces the thieves to leave.
     Marius' happiness is shattered by Valjean, who, has decided to take Cosette to England. The greatest pain in Valjean's life would be to have the love of Cosette lost to another man.
     Consumed by his love, Marius has been unaware of the deteriorating political situation. His frient Enjofras directs the creation of a barricade in front of the Corinth wine shop. the first enemy he has to deal with is Javert, who is unmasked as a spy and tied up to await execution.
     Marius, driven by despair, decides to seek death in the revolution. He joins the students at the barricade and fights. Valjean also hoins the insurgents, but for special reasons; he has discovered Marius' relationship with Cosette. For Cossette's sake, he decides to protect the life of the man he loathes.
     Before the final assault, Valjean volunteers to execute Javert. Instead, he spares the inspector's life and sends him away. He seizes the seriously wounded Marius, disapperas into a manhole, and takes passaghe through the sewers of Paris. Unfortunately, Javert arrests him at the exit. However, he allows Valjean to take Marius to his grandfather and later, in a quandary, releases Valjean. But he cannot forgive himself for the breach of duty and commits suicide.
     Marius' life has a happier ending. He recuperates from his wounds and overcomves his grandfather's hostility to his marriage. The marriage, however, is a blow to Valjean. He has confessed his past to Marius, whothen slowly estranges Cosette from Valjean. Marius does not know that Valjean is the man who saved his life inthe sewers.
     Without Cosette, Valjean's life loses its meaning and he slowly withers away. Thénardier, however, unwittingly reveals to Marius that Valjean is his savior, and Marius and Cosette arrive in time to console Jean Valjean on his deathbed.