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The 'philosopher' (modernist intellectual of the French 18th-century Enlightenment) Denis Diderot is part of an aristocratic circle which practices the libertarian principles on the rural castle estate of the baron of Holbach, and prints their forbidden publication, the Encyclopédie, drowning the noise of the presses in Jewish assistant Abraham's organ playing. Then arrives Madame Therbouche, a flirtatious painter, from the Prussian metropolis Berlin, and convinces Diderot to pose for her more daring then his idol fellow-philosopher Voltaire in Berlin: in the nude, leading to an animated row with his wife Antoinette, still naked except for a very unsteady sheet, all over the estate's park. Worse, the saucy scene is witnessed by a feared visitor, Holbach's brother the Cardinal, who is hunting for the illegal Encyclopaedia printers; to divert him, the baroness confesses her real and imagined sins since years and next sends in every female to do the same, later joined spontaneously by chevalier (marquis in the end credits) de Jerfeuil, who got a livelier show the he bargained for when accepting to be shown two inseparable marquis's 'sabre collection' which proves not of the military variety. The baroness also treats her guests to (then) most exotic foods and naughty pictures, yet even for her the freedman Turkish hamam eunuch Mohamed takes hospitality for female guests too far into intimate massage to their taste. His personal experience keeps changing Diderot's ideas, and therefore the article he is writing on 'morale' (morality). Secrets end up getting out, both the portraitist's true agenda and what goes on in the chapel, which the Cardinal finally gets into to 'recollect himself' after hearing so many unsettling lustful sins...

Odette dreams of thanking Balthazar Balsan, her favorite writer, for the optimism which she believes emanates from him. The wealthy and seductive writer is going to land in her life in a totally unexpected way. The story of a meeting between two unusual castaways who have nothing in common...

Marius, 12, has not seen his father for years and he misses him badly. Marie, his mother, a workaholic firm manager, knows that she will never reconcile with her ex-husband. She must do something to address her son's frustration but what to do ? She finally has the preposterous idea to hire Robert Pique, an unemployed man, to play the role of Marius's father. His job will consist in putting the boy off his alleged dad. Of course, the scheme sucks and nothing will go according to plan...

In 1914, Blanche Maupas replaces her husband Théo as local teacher when he is drafted into the French Army for WW I combat. News is bad: Théo is executed to set an example, after finding it impossible to send his men into the firing line.

A Protestant businessman, Jean Calas, is tortured to death for allegedly killing his son to stop him becoming a Catholic. Voltaire launches a Europe-wide campaign to win rehabilitation for Calas and compensation for his family.

A piano teacher suspects her entourage of being responsible for the disappearance of a former pupil she was putting up. She starts to grow suspicious of everyone's behavior.

Pierre Vasseur is the French president. He has a busy schedule: resolving political crises, abating popular anger, tolerating sarcastic journalists, and parrying opposition attacks-not to mention dealing with the tense relationship he has with his daughter.

After his wife left him for another man, Pierre Perreau returns to France with his son. While fishing in a lake, they find a naked young beautiful woman lying unconsciously and have her taken to a hospital. The local priest believes she is Jeanne who died in a flood before Pierre was born and she will revenge those involved in the murder of her fiancé.

It's fun time as Marleau investigates a theme park murder.

Adamsberg is in the Camargue, visiting his brother Raphaël. He discusses his terror attacks and the lack of progress in his investigation. Raphaël reminds him of a story from their childhood: an elderly solitary woman who lived somewhere called Pré d'Albret, who their mother regularly visited to take food.

Widows... but just a bit: Alerted by an anonymous letter-writer, Marleau investigates the disappearance of a body from a funeral parlour. She rapidly becomes intrigued by the undertaker himself, a shifty but likeable character, all the widows of the village seem to be under his charm. Strangely, their husbands all died mysteriously, one after another.

A train driver is found dead. Five years earlier, he had caused the death of a teenager in a car accident. A revenge killing? Marleau suspects Father Damien; not only does he know all the local secrets, but was personally involved in the previous case.

Identifying a woman found strangled in a forest becomes complicated.

More than a child: At 17, Claire had her whole life ahead of her. Who could have wished her dead? Suspicion quickly falls on her teacher at the agricultural college, charismatic, original but with a seemingly ambiguous relationship with his pupils. More than enough to encourage Marleau to take a close interest in him.

Marleau, posted to a Gendarmerie in the Basque country, is called to investigate the death of a young woman whose body was found in an under-construction restaurant she was due to manage. HQ assigns a psychiatrist to the captain.

When a banker is found drowned on dry land, Marleau's investigation leads her to the victim's father, his estranged sister, and her son.

A woman asks Marleau to locate her missing daughter, a performer in the local cabaret. The search leads Marleau to a drowned man, powerful businessmen, and the cabaret's colorful denizens. A buffoonish Commandant vexes Marleau.

Marleau is sent to the Vosges after unlikable Cyril Duprat is murdered in his influential family's sawmill. Marleau's focus becomes Cyril's likable cousin Serge, a former prodigal son who rescued the sawmill and saved the town.

Captain Marleau investigates when a school teacher, Micka, dies in a boat explosion in Brittany. Is the killer a high school friend of Micka-- Max, Florence, Leila, Tanguy, or Gregoire? Or is it unscrupulous developer Charles Le Tallec?

During Gilles Garin's youngest son's death anniversary, Elsa, the eldest son's nanny is shot. Unusual French policewoman - Captain Marleau investigates. The trails are numerous: Garin's wife? Elsa's boyfriend, Julien? A crazy, jealous woman in love with Gilles? Gilles himself - famous detective novelist - throwing red-herrings in Marleau's path. Is Garin protecting someone? Captain Marleau - like a sniffer dog - will at the end find her prey.

A young woman is killed during a parachute jump. Who could have wished to see her dead? Her instructor, Carlos, with whom she was having an affair? Clémence, Carlos's current wife? Or Clara, his ex-wife and Clémence's twin sister?

A retired Scotland Yard detective helps Marleau investigate in a town filled with English expats.