Henri is surrounded by fawning courtiers, who hide behind their smiles a deadly intent to do away with him at the first opportunity in favor of his brother. Duc d'Anjou. There is but one man who is honestly Henri's friend. This man is Chicot the Jester, a huge, handsome, fearless fellow, true as steel, to those who called him friend, deadly as venom to those who dared betray him or his sovereign, and the only person who may speak the truth to the king. Chicot the Jester is given an order by the king for the arrest of the gallant Count De Bussy, whose deserved popularity with the ladies of the court irritates the petulant Henri constantly. Chicot the Jester had the courage of his convictions; he was a man who dared. Knowing his friend De Bussy to be guiltless, he tore the court order into shreds and ordered De Bussy into retirement at the peaceful castle of Baron de Meridor, whose beautiful daughter, Diana Chicot, knew to be the adored one of De Bussy's heart. How De Bussy complied; how he was waylaid by the king's men within Diana's gates; how Diana nursed him secretly; how the uncouth Count de Monsoreau had the beauty kidnapped upon De Bussy's return to court; how De Monsoreau married her before Chicot, who had overheard the plot could interfere; all go to make up the most thrilling most impressively scened and costumed succession of incidents that have ever been contained in a single reel of picture. The second and third reels show that De Bussy tries to enlist the sympathies of the fickle Henri in his behalf, with Chicot's connivance. Henri, in a fit of pique and to discountenance De Bussy, ignores his pleas and those of the bereaved Father de Meridor for the return of Diana, and to make her marriage a matter of record, beyond pre-adventure, he permits De Monsoreau to present his new lady to himself, Henri, at court, thus legalizing the marriage absolutely. Chicot, besides the knowledge that his friend De Bussy has been discomfited and the lovely Diana forced to wed against her will by De Monsoreau, has the further incentive to plot the latter's undoing of believing him to be the arch-conspirator against Henri's continuation in power. While Chicot is gathering evidence of De Monsoreau's treachery to the sovereign, Henri goes into retirement at a monastery over the holy week, attended, among others, by De Monsoreau. Choosing this propitious moment, De Bussy seeks to free Diana from her palace prison, but Monsoreau's unexpected return precipitates a one side duel to the death, for De Bussy is one against Monsoreau and his horde of armed men. Chicot, having proofs of De Monsoreau's perfidy, accompanies the King's soldiers to the plotter's palace, bent upon his arrest. His timely appearance saves De Bussy, who is fast going from loss of blood, and Chicot in order to "save the hangman a needless task," plunges De Monsoreau's sword into its owner's black heart. He then turns to the fainting lovers and announces jovially as though nothing untoward has just taken place, "De Monsoreau is dead; long live De Bussy. Diana is a widow, my boy, take her. I give her to you." But his own heart breaks, for he, too, loves the Lady Diana.