Based on a novel by Alexandre Dumas and the memoirs of Marguerite de Valois, Queen Margot takes place in the late 16th century during a religious war between the ruling Catholics and the Protestant Huguenots. The young Margot (Isabelle Adjani), heiress to the French throne, finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage to the leader of the Huguenots (Daniel Auteuil). She hopes to escape with a new lover (Vincent Perez) but finds herself imprisoned by her powerful and ruthless family.