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As a writer who, like Charles Dickens, saw no part of society unworthy of his attention and scrutiny, Emile Zola (Paul Muni) gradually rises, through his novels, as a moralist who semes to understand, empathize with, and appreciate people in all stations in life. His fame and credibility as a champion of the people give him the courage to intervene in the notorious Dreyfus affair, in which Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army, is, despite the lack of evidence against him, found guilty of the treasonous acts of another Army officer and exiled to Devil's Island. Within a year of Dreyfus' arrest, it becomes clear to several in the French army that Dreyfus was innocent, but they resolve to sweep the mistake under the rug rather than rectify it. When it later becomes evident to Zola that the Dreyfus affair is a coverup, the resolution of which might impugn the honor of the French army, he realizes that he won't have an easy time exposing the truth, but he tries. He is incense