 Esmeralda is rescued by Captain Phoebus, with whom she instantly falls in love to the point of obsession.Later that night, Clopin Trouillefou, the King of the Truands, prepares to execute a poet named Pierre Gringoire for trespassing the Truands' territory known as The Court of Miracles.In a compassionate act to save his life, Esmeralda agrees to marry Gringoire.