In early 19th century France the paroled prisoner Jean Valjean seeks redemption, regains his social standing, and rises to the rank of mayor. He encounters a beautiful but desperately ill woman named Fantine and cares for her daughter, Cosette, after her death. All the while he is obsessively pursued by the policeman Javert, who vows to make him pay for the crimes of his past.

During the period between 1964 and 1977: the royal family mourns the passing of Winston Churchill; the United Kingdom ushers in a new prime minister, the Labour Party's Harold Wilson whom Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth hear might be a Soviet spy; survives the Aberfan disaster; observes the Apollo 11 moon landing; and plans for the Investiture of Prince Charles. While Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon visit the USA, the queen, at the bidding of...

A lonely, isolated thirty-something insomniac young professional seeks an escape from his mundane existence with the help of a devious soap salesman. They find release from their reality prison through underground fight clubs, where men can be what the world now denies them. Their boxing matches and harmless pranks soon lead to an out-of-control spiral towards oblivion.