It is Paris, France, 1673. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (aka "Moliere") and his "Illustrious Theatre" have been touring the provinces for thirteen years, playing their farces before rustic, rural audiences. But now, having lost their patron, they have been granted an audience before the young King Louis XIV at the recommendation of the King's brother, "Monsieur." Moliere and his partner in theatre, Madeleine Bejart, disagree on what sort of play to present. Moliere believes tragedy to be the higher art that "sears men's souls" but Madeleine prefers comedy because of their success with it in the provinces.
They present a tragic play to His Majesty's audience, and it fails--the unruly audience boos them and throws baked apples at the actors, which was a Paris tradition. But Moliere, daring to address the King, begs him to stay for a farce. They play the farce before an uproarious audience, and win His Majesty's patronage and theatre space in Paris....and one might say, "the rest is history."
But that history is problematic for Moliere and his talented thespians. Moliere makes some powerful enemies with his biting satire, directed at the venal and pretentious in society. One emerging antagonist is Montfleury, a tragic actor with a rival troupe. But with his foibles Montfleury becomes the perfect comic foil---his pomposity and stylized manner are ridiculed in two hilarious scenes by Moliere and his troupe. Still, Montfleury becomes an ominous, shadowy presence dogging Moliere's footsteps throughout.
But a more formidable adversary is the Church which sees acting as sinful (it is, after all, mere pretense) and a pernicious influence in society. Soon the playwright is defending his celebrated masterpiece, "Tartuffe," or "The Imposter," which the Bishops take as an attack on religion. Ultimately Moliere persuades the young King to lift the Church's ban on its performance--or is it Armande's running affair with the King, who is enchanted with Moliere's lovely young wife, that saves "Tartuffe?"
Moliere quarrels bitterly with Armande, calling her "the King's whore," and they separate. She stays with the troupe but not with Moliere-- although later, despite an affair with the young actor, Michel Baron, Armande engineers a remarkable reconciliation with Jean-Baptiste.
Moliere has other problems: the demolition of his theatre, the untimely death of his erstwhile lover Madeleine, and his failing health. (Moliere, it seems has contracted "consumption," the catch-all medical diagnosis of the day, probably TB.) and his incessant coughing limits his availability as an actor.
Will Moliere prevail? Can he save his marriage? His troupe? His legacy?