Marie-Thérèse is King Louis' Queen. Desperate to win back the love of her husband, she has to be satisfied by the regularity with which he performs his conjugal duties, even having spent the evening with a more entertaining mistress. Marie-Therese is docile and pious. Her rigid Spanish education means she has few friends. An isolated, tragicomic character, she uses what others mistake for stupidity to hide her most intimate secrets.
Marie-Thérèse is forced to suffer daily humiliation inflicted upon her by Montespan, the new "Queen of Versailles" and Louis' favourite. She cannot bear to see her rival flaunting her rounded belly and catching everyone's eye, especially that of the king. Nor can she tolerate the decadent atmosphere that has taken over the court and diverted the nobility from the path of morality and religion. In the hope of returning order to the chaos, she calls upon Father Pascal, her confessor and confidante. She also approaches Madame Scarron, who she can sense has a positive influence on the king.
