On January 9, 1836, Pierre Lacenaire, a murderer and a thief, is put to death by the guillotine. He tells Allard, a police inspector, the story he wrote about his life while he was waiting to be executed. He also asks Allard to take care of Hermine, a girl whose guardian he has been for more than ten years. In flashbacks, we see Lacenaire's childhood as he stands up to bullies, including priests, his youth as a thief, his first murder, his short time in the army, his seduction of a princess, and his affair with Avril, a young man who dies next to him. We see these things from the prison, where Lacenaire is writing, from Allard's study, where he and Hermine are reading, and from the memories of other readers
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