On August 22, 1933, 18-year-old Violette Nozière poisons her parents before going out dancing. Her father dies, her mother survives, and Violette claims it was a suicide pact. Police doubt her story, and she's put on trial. Decades later, her shocking crime inspires a 1970s film - but her true motives remain a mystery.

Born to a wealthy family and gifted in poetry, Pierre-François Lacenaire drifts to society's fringes and turns to violent crime. In 1834, Mrs. Chardon and her son are found brutally murdered, their home ransacked in what seems a robbery. Lacenaire's path leads him to his grim "fiancée" - the guillotine.

In late 19th-century France, a brutal killer dubbed "the vagabond" terrorizes towns. Judge Emile Fourquet investigates the murder of young Victor Portalier and uncovers the culprit, Joseph Vacher, a serial murderer. The case exposes police failings and leads Georges Clemenceau to create the famed "Tiger Brigade".

In 1817 Rodez, prosecutor Antoine Bernardin Fualdes is found dead in the Aveyron River amid fierce imperialist-Bonapartist tensions. The first trial covered by the press, it's mired in rumors, fake confessions, and scandal. For three years, the shocking affair captivates France and the world.

Before France abolished the death penalty, young Marthe Erbelding was found raped and murdered at Gare du l'Est. Family friend Albert Soleilland lured her away under false pretenses. When his death sentence was commuted to life, public outrage exploded, sparking a fierce national debate over capital punishment.

In a shocking case, maids Christine and Léa Papin murder their employer and her daughter, gouging out their eyes after being discovered in a forbidden relationship. Though one of France’s most brutal crimes, intellectuals defend them, seeing the sisters as tragic symbols of class oppression and exploited labor.