A musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg based on Victor Hugo's famous novel of 19th-century France. The action begins in 1815 as Jean Valjean, a man condemned to 19 years of hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family, finds only hatred and suspicion when he is released on parole. Meeting one man who believes in him, Valjean breaks his parole to begin a new life.