France, the eighteenth century. A commoner, Jeanne Becu, rises up the Parisian social ladder through the beds of aristocrats, among whom are the Count du Barry and Marshal Richelieu. With the help of patrons she climbs to the very top: she attracts the attention of the no longer young, not very amorous King Louis XV. Jeanne, formally married to du Barry for show, becomes the monarch's favorite, provoking with her past complicated feelings among the courtiers and especially irritating the royal family.