Jules Bastien-Lepage is dragged to London by Sarah Berhardt to meet the Prince of Wales and paint his portrait. A succession of events sees him stay longer than planned in London, where he meets Lord Leighton, Alma Tadema, Princess Alexandra, and Queen Victoria. The portrait is finished in Paris months later where Emile Perrin, Auguste Worms and other associates of the Comedie Francaise help mold the final painting. The impossibility of having the Prince and his family sit still for long periods results in a confused portrait and a difference of opinion when it is exhibited at the Royal Academy.