Episode 5

Overview

Between Madame Denis, his niece and housekeeper — a strong woman whose charms he is not immune to — and Wagnière, his remarkable new secretary and friend, Voltaire sets out to write Candide. At the same time, this indefatigable man continues his quarrel with Jean‑Jacques Rousseau, contributes to The Encyclopaedia, and buys a new house in Ferney, soon to become Europe’s intellectual capital. Then a case breaks out that will cause a great stir. Voltaire learns that a Protestant from Toulouse, accused of killing his son for wanting to convert to Catholicism, has been broken on the wheel. Faced with a murky file, Voltaire reopens the investigation and, if not the man’s life, restores the honor of Calas.