L’homme qui rit

England, the late 17th century. King Jacques II has his enemy Lord Clancharlie tortured to death and sells his young son to child traffickers, the « comprachicos. » The boy, whom the traffickers disfigure – twisting his mouth into a hideous permanent grin – flees and saves a blind baby from the cold, Dea. Both are taken in by Ursus, a traveling showman who lives in his wagon in the company of Homo the wolf. The years pass. Gwynplaine, now known as « the man who laughs, » has become a star of the fair-ground. He is in love with Dea, who has grown into a beautiful young girl and is unaware of his deformity…