France, 1700 -- an age of wit and sophistication, frippery and flattery, reputation and ridicule; an age of politics, romance, intrigue and the sword. Gaston de Mailly, ex-solider and down-at-heel gentleman, is living in a Paris that has little use for his skill with a blade. Fortunately, his wit is equally sharp. Allying himself to the sceptical lawyer Fleurus, Mailly offers to try his hand at any case that can't be pursued through the normal...