In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France. "The Galley Slave" was the first in a series of four "Les Miserables" films from Vitagraph Co. of America. Originally planned to be five films (The Galley Slave, Fantine, Cosette, Marius, Jean Valjean) the series was shortened to four, with some material from "Marius" being incorporated to "Jean Valjean."