Cyrano de Bergerac (Gérard Depardieu) is a renowned swordsman and poet throughout Paris with one not-so-small defect, his nose. This physical attribute has caused Cyrano to believe that no woman could ever love him. His beautiful cousin, Roxane (Anne Brochet), calls him to meet with her following a disturbance at the local theatre hall during which Cyrano defended her honor. Thinking Roxane may express her love for him, Cyrano goes quickly to her only to discover that Roxane is in love with the handsome new soldier, Christian (Vincent Pérez). She wants Cyrano to help bring her together with the target of her new affections. Putting his own feelings aside, Cyrano offers to assist Christian in winning the hand of Roxane.