The life of the Marquise de Maintenon, who was the wife of the poet Scarron before becoming, under the seal of a secret marriage, the wife of King Louis XIV.
This section presents the youth of the future Madame De Maintenon, born Françoise d'Aubigné. We follow her through her marriage to Paul Scarron, as well as her sentimental adventures after the death of the satirical poet. Having become governess to the illegitimate children of Louis XIV and Mme de Montespan, the episode ends with the beginning of an inclination between the king and the widow Scarron.
While Françoise devotedly brought up the children of the King and Madame de Montespan, the King gradually developed the habit of coming to see them, which damaged relations between the two women. Françoise receives a proposal of marriage from the King. A life of difficult habits began, and the king reproached his wife for her old beliefs. In time, the Saint Cyr school becomes her refuge, where the king has acceded to her desire to create a school for poor young girls from the nobility. The end of the reign was terrible: war and famine raged, the king lost his son, the young Duchess of Burgundy, the new Dauphin, and he was left with only a small child to ensure succession to the throne. It was the end for Louis XIV. Alone with Françoise, he confides that his only regret is leaving her. She leaves for Saint Cyr, ill and curious about death, but feels a regret at leaving this world: in the Allée du roi, Louis XIV is waiting for her, and she runs to join him.
