A poor but ambitious young man arrives in Paris and settles down in the boarding house run by Madame Vauquer. He soon gets to know the guests: Victorine Taillefer, a young lady her rich father refuses to recognize; Horace Bianchon, a medical student; Monsieur Vautrin, a mysterious and disconcerting...
In an allegorical tale, a luxurious hotel is ruled like a communist country. The ignorant views of leaders and the social stratification are the main focus.