Edmond Dantes arrives in Paris to begin his quest for revenge. As Count of Monte Cristo, Dantes gains acceptance with the Count de Morcef, the man who years earlier as Mondego denounced him as a traitor and married his fiancée Mercedes. Realizing that he will need a female companion with whom he can be seen at public functions, Dantes courts Camilla de la Richardais, a beautiful recluse widow. He then pursues the betrayers Danglers and Villefort, devising a plan to torment his enemies at a luncheon on the Richardais estate.