A French silent film serial which follows the exploits of the archvillain Fantômas, who commits crimes while eluding Inspector Juve’s tireless persecution.
The archvillain Fantômas, a master of disguise, steals the Princess Danidoff her priceless pearl necklace at the Royal Palace Hotel, so Inspector Juve is tasked to capture Fantômas and put an end to his limitless villainy.
When the disfigured body of a woman is found in Dr. Chaleck’s quarters, Inspector Juve immediately suspects that it is the work of his archenemy, the criminal mastermind Fantômas.
Fantômas commits a murder and cleverly frames an artist, who is mysteriously murdered whilst in prison. After the body disappears from there, several crimes take place, leaving behind the fingerprints of the dead man.
After his failed attempts to capture the ruthless crook and murderer Fantômas, Inspector Juve becomes the victim of a virulent press campaign which accuses him of being Fantômas himself. Whilst Juve languishes in a prison cell, his friend, the journalist Fandor, attempts to clear his name by tracking the real Fantômas.
Inspector Juve finds out that Fantômas is serving a prison sentence in Belgium. Desperately eager to get the criminal master imprisoned in France, he comes up with a plot to allow Fantômas to escape.