The Pontmercys

----Scratch the "happy ending" bit. I'm not even halfway through, so we'll be seeing those two again. But until then, we've met a whole new family.
----Monsieur Guillenormand is a grumpy, crotchety, frivolous old man. He manages to be crude and off-color while still having a penchant for fine things. In short, he's a repulsive ninety year old who's filthy rich and always gets his way.
----He has two daughters. The eldest, his favorite, never married and still lives with him. His younger daughter married Monsieur Pontmercy, a soldier. Pontmercy is a war hero general who fought, under the guidance of Emporer Napoleon, to overthrow the crushing monarchy (Marie Antoinette, Reign of Terror, guillotines, all that fun stuff). Anyway, he is so good he was promoted to Baron and Colonel on the same night.
----However, he is hit in the grid of cannon fire and falls unconcious on the ground, buried beneath the other cadavers (yuck!). But in the dead of night, a lone figure crouches on the ground in front of him and gingerly slips his hand in Baron Pontmercy's pocket, looking for valuables. In doing so, he brings Pontmercy back to conciousness, when he surely would have died. Pontmercy, ever the gentleman, is extremely grateful and asks for his accidental rescuer's name. The answer? Thernardier. THAT Thernardier!
----Baron Colonel Pontmercy recovers and returns home, wishing to use his rightfully earned titles, but since he fought on the unpopular team, no one else will acknowledge them. He has a son and names him Marius, but because of a stupid inheritance matter, M. Guillenormand takes the son and excommunicates the father. The Baron's wife, M. Guillenormand's least favorite daughter, dies shortly after having Marius.
----Alone, angry, and confused, Baron Pontmercy retires to a house in the country and spends his days tending the flowers while shutting out flashbacks of heroism long gone on the battlefield. But he has one comfort- sometimes he sneaks out to watch his son at church. No one sees him except for an old man in the balcony. He grows old and sickly. His hair is white, the end is near, and he still has never met his own son!