The Candide
(Voltaire)

Candide spends his youth living a rather sheltered life at the Baron's castle. He is taught philosophy and metaphysics by Professor Pangloss, and Candide believes in all of Pangloss' teachings. He is in love with the beautiful daughter of the Baron named Cunegonde, who also loves him back. One fateful day the Baron catches Cunegonde and Candide kissing, but because Candide has 1/72 of royal blood and Cunegonde has 1/71, the Baron kicks him out of the castle.

Lost, Candide wanders around the countryside and eventually comes to a town. There, he is recruited to the Bulgarian army and is forced to train to fight for them. He experiences the horrors of war and flees the first chance he gets. Candide ends up in Holland where he is helped by James the Anabaptist. In Holland, he also encounters his beloved teacher Pangloss, who has been ravaged by a rotting disease and needs medical attention. The teacher also brings news that the Baron's castle has been sacked, and Cunegonde raped and killed. James takes Pangloss in, and, after they are recovered, all three of them take a ship to Lisbon.

During their trip, the ship is sunk by a fearsome storm. James dies rescuing a brutish sailor, but Pangloss and Candide end up on the shore of Lisbon. As soon as they arrive, a serious earthquake hits the city, leaving it in ruin. Pangloss tries to help by preaching his philosophy of optimism, but is arrested by the inquisition, along with Candide, for his beliefs. Candide is whipped, and Pangloss hanged. Later, an old woman hired by Cunegonde nurses Candide back to health and brings him to her.

Candide is astonished to see her alive, and Cunegonde reveals her story. She was raped in the castle but was taken by the general as a mistress for her beauty. She was then sold several times before she ended up as the mistress of both Don Issachar, a Jewish merchant, and the Grand Inquisitor. During her story, both these men come in, and Candide kills them both. Following the old woman's advice, the group flees with horses and jewels and they head for Cadiz. On the way, Cunegonde's jewels are stolen.

In Cadiz, Candide joins an army heading to Portugal to fight the Jesuits, and the group sets sail. In Buenos Aires, however, a pursuit ship catches up to them. A pompous lord wants to make Cunegonde his mistress and the old woman tells her to accept his offer. Candide is forced to flee with his valet, Cacambo, who join the Jesuits they were sent to fight. The general of the Jesuits turns out to be none other than Cunegonde's brother, the new Baron. Their reunion is a happy one until Candide reveals his intent to marry Cunegonde. Like his father before him, the new Baron takes offense to the match, and Candide runs him through with a sword.

Forced to flee yet again, Cacambo and Candide set out into the country. On this leg of their journey, they shoot two monkeys and are captured by a native tribe. Upon being released, they decide to try and get back to Europe. However, they run out of food and money and are forced to travel down a river. They end up in the beautiful, wealthy land of El Dorado, where the streets are made of gold and children play with the precious jewels lying on the ground. The king greets them warmly and welcomes them into this seemingly perfect society that relies on science instead of religion and has no crime.

Eventually, they get bored and decide to leave. The king gives them over 100 sheep laden with treasures and provisions. During the journey, they lose all but two sheep but are still vastly wealthy. In Surinam, Cacambo travels ahead to buy Cunegonde's freedom and Candide plans on meeting them in Venice. He tries to hire a Dutch sailor, who swindles him and takes off with his sheep in the middle of the night. Heartbroken, Candide uses what money he has left to hire another ship to take him to France and a travel companion named Martin.

In Paris, Candide becomes ill, and Martin's constant pessimism does not help him get better. He is deceived by an Abbot and a Marchioness who want nothing more than his remaining money. Eventually, he gets on a ship headed towards England. Upon reaching the coastline Candide witnesses the execution of an admiral who did not kill enough men in battle. Disgusted, Candide immediately sets out for Venice.

They arrive safely in Venice but cannot find Cacambo or Cunegonde. Candide enters into a state of melancholy, which Martin only exacerbates. One day Candide sees a happy young couple and wants to prove that people can be happy. When he invites them to dinner, he finds out that the young woman is Paquette, the serving maiden from his old castle who has turned to prostitution to survive. The man is Friar Giroflee, who hates his profession and is in love with Paquette. Still wanting to prove that it is possible to be happy, Candide visits the Senator Pococurante, one of the wealthiest men in Venice. Although he owns many fine things, however, he cannot appreciate any of them and lives in a state of boredom.

When he is just about to give up hope, he runs into Cacambo at the inn. He is now slave to the wealthy man Candide is about to have dinner with, and Cacambo reveals that Cunegonde is in Constantinople. Candide has dinner with six men who all turn out to be dethroned kings from different countries in Europe. He buys Cacambo from his master and sets out to Constantinople. While going ashore, he notices that the galley men rowing the boat look exactly like Pangloss and the Baron. They are, in fact, and both survived their ordeals only to become slaves on the ship. Candide buys their freedom as well, and everyone goes to rescue Cunegonde.

They find Cunegonde and the old woman, but Cunegonde has become hideously ugly. Candide does not want to marry her, but is determined to go on with the match because of his honor. The Baron still disagrees, and they send him back to the galley. With their remaining money, they buy a farm to live on but are all unhappy. With nothing to do, they spend their days philosophizing and wasting time.

One day, Candide is invited to dinner by an old man who runs his own farm. He and his children have plenty of food and are happier than any other people Candide has met on his travels. Candide decides to adopt the old man's lifestyle and has everyone begin working on the farm. Each member cultivates a trade to help out, and they spend their days working and being content with their life.