In 1900 Paris, a British writer suffering from depression, discovers that his neighbors are a loose troupe of performers led by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Toulouse-Lautrec asks for Christian's help writing a show to sell to the owner of the Moulin Rouge, Harold Zidler. At the Moulin Rouge Christian meets and falls in love with Satine, the star courtesan, but their passionate affair proves tragic due to Satine's commitments to the show.