Garry McDonald

Christian is an idealistic and impoverished young writer who, newly arrived in Montmartre, is haphazardly inducted into a circle of young bohemians led by Toulouse-Lautrec. A comedy of mistaken identities ensues, quickly enmeshing the young poet in a love triangle involving the unobtainable and consumptive Satine, queen courtesan of the Moulin Rouge, and the foppish Duke of Roxbury, his villainous rival for her affections.

Torn between a social conscience that dictates he should look after his mother in her old age and the need to live a normal life while he's still in his prime, newly divorced Arthur tries to accomodate his mother's constant demands for affection and attention.