A professional thief named Assane Diop, the only son of a Senegalese immigrant, arrives at the Louvre Museum in Paris disguised as a janitor. His true intention is not to clean but to steal a diamond necklace that once belonged to Marie Antoinette. This heist is not about greed; it is the first move in an elaborate twenty-five-year plan for revenge. When Assane was a boy, his father Babakar worked as a chauffeur for the powerful and ruthless wealthy family, the Pellegrinis. Babakar was framed by the family patriarch, Hubert Pellegrini, for the theft of that very same diamond necklace. Humiliated and broken in prison, Babakar took his own life, leaving the fourteen-year-old Assane an orphan on the streets of Paris.

Inspired by a book about the classic gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, which his father gave him for his birthday, Assane transforms himself into a master of disguise, thievery, and psychological manipulation. The narrative moves between the present day and flashbacks to Assane’s childhood, revealing the deep emotional wounds that drive him. He assembles a network of allies, including his loyal best friend Benjamin, an antique dealer who provides logistical support, and maintains a complicated relationship with Claire, his estranged wife and the mother of his young son Raoul. As Assane closes in on Hubert Pellegrini, he draws the attention of the Paris police, including the determined detective Youssef Guédira, who uses his own knowledge of the Lupin books to try to anticipate the thiefs next move.

The first arc of the series focuses on Assane’s attempt to expose Hubert Pellegrini for the original crime while clearing his father’s name. This cat-and-mouse game takes him across iconic Parisian locations, from the Louvre and the Jardin du Luxembourg to the antique shops of Saint-Ouen and the cliffs of Étretat in Normandy. However, his quest for justice has dire consequences for those he loves, forcing him to go into hiding as the most wanted fugitive in France. In later arcs, even while on the run, Assane must protect his son from old enemies and new adversaries, leading to a climactic confrontation that tests his skills and his morality. The story follows his struggle to be both a phantom gentleman thief and a present father, proving that the greatest heist is not just about stealing jewels, but about reclaiming a stolen life.

In contrast to the French series, a separate live-action television production aired in the Philippines in 2007. This version reimagines the concept through a local lens. The protagonist, simply named Lupin and portrayed by Richard Gutierrez, is a veteran thief trained from a young age by his father Duroy. The central conflict begins when Lupin decides to leave his criminal life behind to marry his girlfriend, Angelie. Fearing the loss of his most valuable asset and source of income, Lupins father secretly conspires with a rival gang to assassinate Angelie on her wedding day. Duroy then kills the gang members to cover his tracks. When Lupin discovers the truth about his fathers treachery from another female asset named Ashley, his goal shifts from retirement to revenge. The series follows his complex quest to avenge his fiancée without getting caught, airing 95 episodes that blend crime drama with family betrayal.