1848. French author Alexandre Dumas is at the height of his fame. His faithful collaborator, Auguste Maquet, lives in the shadow of the famous novelist, who takes credit for all the works they've written together.
When young Charlotte Desrives, believing him to be Dumas, begs Maquet to intercede with the authorities to secure the release of her father, a doctor convicted of sedition, Maquet agrees. Madly in love with Charlotte, he pretends to be the famous Dumas, author of such works as The Three Musketeers.
He goes to live in an apartment in Paris in order to help her. But two surprises await the unfortunate Maquet. Charlotte turns up with a boy her age who seems to be her lover, and secondly, she wants to use the apartment as a weapons cache for the revolution.
I went to tons of links bferoe this, what was I thinking?