Synopsis

Set in colonial England, Gwynplaine, hideously disfigured as an infant, is abandoned on the seashore at age ten. He is taken in and raised by Ursus and his wolf. They make a meager living selling quack remedies and philosophy. Ursus also raises Dea, a blind infant girl he rescues in a snowstorm. In time, these outcasts from society earn their living by performing and public exhibition of Gwynplaine’s distorted face, a permanent laughing mask. Meanwhile, the fugitive outlaws who abandoned Gwynplaine, flee England and are shipwrecked in a monstrous tempest. To redeem themselves they leave a message in a floating flask, praying for forgiveness as the vessel sinks. Only the message in the bottle survives. Gwynplaine and Dea grow up under the guidance of Ursus.

Their fame spreads throughout England as a troupe of unique traveling performers. Dea, frail but beautiful, and blessed with an angelic voice, exquisitely sings their compositions. Gwynplaine’s legend grows as THE MAN WHO LAUGHS. Sensation follows them wherever they go. Dea, able to see his soul, falls hopelessly in love with Gwynplaine. In time, her sacred love is challenged by the twisted and profane love of the duchess Josiana. Their fame eventually leads them to Southwark, near London. The true identity of Gwynplaine is revealed through a suspenseful chain of events, manipulated by the ambitious schemes of Barkilphedro, a confidant of Queen Anne. Gwynplaine discovers he is a peer in the House of Lords.

This revelation reveals enormous consequences. He struggles to choose between fame, power and rank, or sacrifice all for the sake of love. His entry and presentation in the House of Lords shakes the very foundation of the monarchy. The ending is both tragic and redemptive.