Paris, 1456: A freezing cold winter night. After committing murder, the poet and ne'er-do-well François Villon flees through the dark alleys, pursued by the cold and the law. When he finds refuge with the nobleman and former soldier Enguerrand de la Feuillée, an inevitable clash of world views ensues. In his literary debut, the creator of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde brings to life the legend of the first poète maudit, François Villon, the poet sentenced to death by hanging who was equally skilled in the art of words and the art of trickery.