Claudine, a naive young man, arrives amidst the clamor of the big city in search of his cousin Alain. But he falls into the hands of a gang of ruffians: the infamous Mamelukes! These men are driven by an ambitious scheme: they plan to sculpt busts of Napoleon, flood France with them, and thus awaken in the people a longing for their lost conquering genius! As Claudine follows the gang on their adventures, he discovers the forces lurking in the shadows, preparing a great reactionary counter-revolution…