The Rose of Versailles

Oscar François de Jarjayes is born. Due to her father's strong desire for a son, she is raised as a boy. At the age of 14, she declines an offer to become Commander of the Royal Guard and watch over Marie Antoinette due to her dislike for "babysitting" and a lingering desire to live as a woman, but she accepts after defeating contender Gerodere in a duel and a fight and talk with her servant and best friend, Andre Grandier. (In the manga, Oscar is promoted to Commander before she graduates from military academy and is proud of this accomplishment, accepting it without worry.)

Marie Antoinette arrives to France. Oscar foils the Duke Orleans' plot to prevent the marriage of Antoinette and Louis XVI, though he manages to avoid suspicion. Antoinette meets her future husband and is deeply unsatisfied.

Antoinette meets and instantly dislikes the king's mistress Madame Du Barry for being a former prostitute and commoner. She talks to every other lady in the court except for her, invoking DuBarry's wrath and making the two of them enemies from then on out. The entire court soon hears of this vendetta and begins taking sides. Duke Orleans takes this opportunity to strike an alliance with Du Barry; as the Dauphin's cousin, he would become heir to the throne if Louis XVI and Antoinette were to die. Oscar decides to remain neutral, but Du Barry sends her mother an invitation to become her lady-in-waiting, forcing the Jarjeyes family into dangerous court intrigue against Oscar's will.

Antoinette sends her own invitation to Madame Jarjayes in order to counteract Du Barry's. Both know that the one to get the Jarjayes' on their side will be more popular, as Oscar is highly liked in court. Not wanting her mother to be caught in the vendetta, but ordered by the King to make a decision, Oscar decides to send her mother to be Antoinette's lady-in-waiting because a future queen's power would be more permanent than a courtesan's. Du Barry is enraged by this, and pesters the King until he gives the Dauphine a warning to improve her behavior. Meanwhile, Empress Maria Theresa sends Count Mercy to France as Antoinette's advisor. Mercy writes to the Empress about the Dauphine's struggle with Du Barry, who begins to worry about the alliance between France and Austria and orders Antoinette to talk to Du Barry. She ignores this order. Duke Orleans gives Du Barry a poison to use however she desires. She decides to stage an attempted poisoning and frame Antoinette and Madame Jarjayes as the culprits, but Oscar uncovers the plot and stops her with threats.

Du Barry fakes crying to get the King enraged at Antoinette and plots with Orleans to get Prince Louis killed in a hunting "accident". The plot fails when Louis drops the rigged gun on the ground, causing it to harmlessly explode. The King and Du Barry pressure Mercy to get Marie to "correct her attitude". He tells the Dauphine that the treaty between Austria and France would be broken if this continues. Not wanting Europe to be engaged in war, Antoinette frustratingly relents, but her three aunts prevent this from happening at the night's next party due to their personal hatred for Du Barry. On New Years Day, Antoinette finally speaks two sentences to Du Barry, and runs from the party in tears, telling Oscar that she would never speak to her again. Oscar, admiring her dignity, swears to protect Antoinette with her life.

Antoinette and the Crown Prince visit Paris. Lady Oscar prevents an assassination against the Crown Prince. The culprit, Charles Colder, commits suicide by poison. His co-conspirators Duke Orleans and Duke Guemenee avoid capture. Jeanne, a poor peasant girl, meets the Marquise de Brandvillier and persuades her to take her in, leaving her family behind.

Antoinette goes to a masquerade, accompanied by Lady Oscar and both meet Hans Axel von Fersen. Antoinette and Fersen are instantly attracted to each other, and he finds out that she is the Dauphine. Fersen visits Antoinette in Versailles many times. Madame du Barry takes advantage of this by paying Lazani to make a forged love letter from Antoinette to Fersen in order to destroy her reputation. Lady Oscar finds the letter and uncovers Du Barry's plot, but she kills all witnesses and destroys all evidence, avoiding capture.

With Oscar's growing responsibility and rise in status, Andre begins to feel neglected to the point of having nightmares. Marie Antoinette sees Madame du Barry on horseback and decides to learn to ride. An accident with the horse nearly kills Antoinette and Andre, but Oscar rescues them. Andre is accused of causing the accident and arrested, but Oscar saves him by requesting a trial in the name of the Jarjayes family and claiming responsibility for the accident as Andre's master. Fersen also tries to take the blame, but Antoinette begs the King to spare them all, claiming that the accident was due to her own selfishness and saving their lives. Despite severe injuries received from the accident, Oscar survives and recovers. Fersen finds out that Oscar is a woman, and is impressed by her strength. Andre regrets ever doubting that Oscar cares for him, and vows to protect her with his life.

King Louis XV catches smallpox. Tension rises in court as everyone decides whose sides to take in case the King dies. Du Barry, fearing her loss in power if the King dies, tries to get Oscar to persuade Antoinette to forgive her. Oscar refuses, even under threats. Orleans also refuses to see her, knowing that the mistress of a dying king lacked any power that would help him take the throne. The King expels her from Versailles on his deathbed in order to receive religious absolution. Oscar stops a soldier from beating the fallen Du Barry and escorts her out of the palace for her safety. Along the way, Du Barry tells Oscar about her past, saying that as a poor orphan, she had learned to do whatever she could to survive, and that she has no regrets because she lived her life the way she wanted to live it. She would later be executed on false charges of treason. Louis XV dies soon after, and the young and frightened Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette become King and Queen of France. Oscar leads the escort of the late king's body to his burial, crying silent tears over the destructive nature of change.