Eugene Francois Vidocq was only sixteen when he left his native town of Arras in search of fortune and glory. A trouble maker, a thief, and a gifted natural swordsman, he wishes to reach America, become rich and marry a beautiful girl who captures his heart. But France is in a grip of bloody revolution. The monarchy has fallen and chaos, crime, and anarchy reign supreme. Struggling for survival, Vidocq makes his way across the country fighting for his life and dream with wit, fists, stick and sharp blade. Forced to become a criminal in order to survive, he earns a reputation as one of the most dangerous men in France. When a young and ambitious general Napoleon Bonaparte seizes power from the corrupt revolutionary regime, Vidocq sees a chance of redeeming himself from his past sins. Offering his services to Napoleonic police, he becomes an outlaw who hunts his own kind and in the process becomes one of the finest detectives in France.