In which the city of Paris is transformed overnight into a labyrinth of barricades and secret bands of armed men, as the murmurs of revolt swell into a clamorous uprising, observed with mingled dread and fascination by the coadjutor Gondy and various noble and humble agents alike. Amidst the tumult, Marshal de la Meilleraie’s desperate attempts to quell the disturbance are interrupted by the calm and commanding presence of Gondy, while Cardinal Mazarin, surrounded by his loyal musketeers, contemplates the storm with a mixture of fear and resolve.