In 1817, a poverty-stricken man appears in Paris claiming to be the highly-decorated Colonel Chabert, who was rumored to have been killed during the Napoleonic Wars. He explains that he remained alive during the bloody battle of Eylau by hiding beneath a heap of corpses, and for the past ten... [More]

In 1817, a poverty-stricken man appears in Paris claiming to be the highly-decorated Colonel Chabert, who was rumored to have been killed during the Napoleonic Wars. He explains that he remained alive during the bloody battle of Eylau by hiding beneath a heap of corpses, and for the past ten years has been struggling to return home to his beloved wife. Chabert seeks the aid of the lawyer Derville, not realizing that Derville is also advising the politically ambitious Count Ferraud -- who just happens to be married to Chabert's wife. Chabert's arrival complicates matters for Derville, who has been counseling Ferraud to abandon the countess. Now, it is up to him to resolve his clients' individual fates. [Less]