In the first chapter, Doctor Pangloss is having an illicit affair with Paquette, a chambermaid. The baron's beautiful daughter, Cunégonde, witnesses the affair and decides to try something similar with Candide. When the baron catches them, Candide is kicked out of the castle.
Hungry and cold, Candide makes his way to a neighboring town, where he is aided by two soldiers. He is pressed into service and endures beatings at the hands of his superiors. He runs away, coming across war-torn villages in the process and witnessing the horrors of war firsthand. Candide makes his way to Christian Holland, where he hopes to find charity but finds hardhearted people, save one, an Anabaptist, who shows Candide kindness and generosity.