Due to the large number of flashbacks in Lupin, it can be difficult to make sense of the timeline. Following are the events of the series in chronological order.
open/close all folders
Before 1990
1947
- Hubert Pellegrini is born on October 10th in Neuilly-Sur-Seine, near Paris.
1948
- Babakar Diop is born on October 28th in Senegal.
1963
Fabienne Bériot is born on May 23rd in Le Havre, Normandy.
1971
- Léonard Koné is born on April 4th in Rouen, Normandy.
circa 1979-1981
- Claire Laurent, Benjamin Férel and Juliette Pellegrini are born in France.
1981
- Assane Diop is born on May 13th in Senegal.
1985
- Fabienne begins working at the newspaper The Objector.
1987
- Youssef Guédira is born on February 18th.
1990s
1995
- Hubert's business empire reaches the verge of collapse. He plans to hire a chauffeur with the intention of framing him for stealing a priceless necklace that had previously belonged to Marie-Antoinette, ultimately hoping to collect a large insurance payout.
- Babakar is given the job of chauffeur. Hubert treats him poorly, although his wife Anne is kinder. Assane meets Hubert's daughter, Juliette, who gives him his first kiss.
- Ashamed by her husband's behavior, Anne Pellegrini offers Babakar a book from the family library to give to Assane for his birthday. Babakar chooses Arsène Lupin: Gentleman Burglar, by Maurice Leblanc.
- Marie-Antoinette's necklace disappears from Hubert's safe. Hubert accuses Babakar of having stolen it. Babakar is taken to the police station despite his repeated denials of his guilt.
- Gabriel Dumont, the detective in charge of handling the necklace case, tells Hubert that the emerging evidence shows that Babakar is indeed almost certainly innocent, but notes that Hubert himself had recently had the insurance policy on the necklace increased. Hubert senses that he is being accused of fraud, and informs Dumont that he has the police department in his pocket. After threatening Dumont's wife, he tells the detective to get Anne to suggest to Babakar that a signed confession will reduce his sentence. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Dumont ultimately acquiesces to Hubert's wishes.
- After much protest, Babakar finally agrees to sign a confession to the crime at the urging of Anne, who tells him that he will be given a lenient sentence and that this will ultimately help Assane. However, he is given the maximum sentence.
- In prison, Babakar writes a letter to Assane that appears to be an admission of guilt, but contains an elaborate hidden message that ultimately blames Anne for his sentencing.
- The prison guards find Babakar hanging from a noose in his cell, dead by means of an apparent suicide. In reality, it was Hubert who instructed Léonard, in prison for an attempted murder, to kill him. Afterwards, Assane buries his father and angrily rejects the help offered to him by Anne.
- Assane finds the Arsène Lupin book among his father's belongings, and is immediately entranced by it.
- As Assane is a minor living on his own, Dumont forcibly takes him to social services. Assane is placed in an foster home.
- Anne Pellegrini pays for Assane to be educated at the prestigious Andrésy school.
- Assane meets Claire. The two are drawn to one another; Claire for Assane's wit and unique skill set, and Assane for Claire's sensible, caring nature. Assane defends Claire from a group of bullies, and although Claire had urged him not to fight them, she cleans his injuries up. Later, Claire kisses Assane and tells him that she likes the idea that they will always be there for one another.
- Assane is given his father's letter, and is dismayed by its contents. He is also informed of his improved educational prospects.
- At the Andrésy school, Assane meets Benjamin, who stands up for him when he is being teased by a pair of boys. They become fast friends, pulling pranks and exploring Paris together.
- Assane continues to see Claire. Unbeknownst to Claire, Assane steals a violin for her; however, this backfires when both he and Claire are apprehended for the crime. As a result of this, Assane is threatened with expulsion from the Andrésy school but manages to keep his place using a bit of trickery with help from Benjamin.
- Assane reconnects with Juliette. However, Hubert prevents Juliette from seeing Assane.
1996
- Hubert scams a group of Malaysian terrorists. In retaliation, they blow up the French embassy in Kuala Lumpur, killing eleven people.
- Fabienne publishes Dirty Money: The Pellegrini System, in which she accuses Hubert of corruption and other illegal activities. Hubert and his team of lawyers manage to successfully hit Fabienne with a record defamation lawsuit, effectively ending her career as a journalist.
July 12th, 1998
- Under the orders of Jean-Luc Keller, Assane and Bruno rob a jewelry store under the cover of the World Cup Final taking place at the Stade de France that afternoon. After tripping the alarm, the teenagers flee and attempt to make a getaway in Keller's Land Rover. During the ensuing chase, Bruno is forced to shoot a pursuing police officer with Keller's revolver. After crashing and flipping the car, Assane hauls Bruno out of the wreckage, but not before placing the revolver into a semi-conscious Keller's hand, thereby framing him for the murder.
- Having split from Bruno after making his escape, Assane returns to a restaurant around the time of the match's end and uses a payphone to call Claire. He apologises and, after finally agreeing that it was a mistake to be taken under Keller's wing, asks to meet her. This is where their romantic relationship effectively begins.
2006
circa March-April
- Benjamin finds a location for his antique shop.
- Assane has been having an affair with Juliette.
- Claire learns that she is pregnant. Her romantic struggles with Assane (with whom she is now in a committed relationship, although she does not know about his dalliances with Juliette) have forced her into therapy, where she reveals that he frequently hides things from her and is often late for their engagements, if he turns up at all. Despite these transgressions, Claire has great difficulty with the idea of breaking off their relationship.
- Assane impersonates a police officer and steals a number of valuable items from a wealthy older woman. He gives one of these items, a Fabergé egg, to Benjamin to sell in his shop.
- Assane tells Juliette that he is ending their affair in order to commit to Claire. Although annoyed and saddened by this, Juliette lets him go.
- Claire tells Assane that she is pregnant. To her immense relief, Assane is enormously pleased by the news. He promises that he will do anything to protect their unborn child, and that he will be a present father. He also makes a number of suggestions for the baby's name, including "Raoul."
December
- Raoul is born on the 11th.
2020
Early October
- Assane sees a news report stating that the Pellegrini necklace, newly-recovered, will be auctioned off at the Louvre on the 16th.
- Assane gets a job as a janitor at the Louvre under the alias "Luis Perenna." He appeals to Vincent, Kevin and Rudy, a trio of loan sharks, for help in breaking into the museum to steal the necklace.
- Benjamin makes a copy of the necklace for Assane.
- Assane creates another fake identity, a multi-millionaire American tech businessman named "Paul Sernine."
- Assane meets Claire at a café in order to pay her alimony, and tells her that things are turning around for him, promising to be a more consistent presence in the lives of her and Raoul. Claire is hopeful but skeptical.
Friday, October 16th
- The loan sharks enter the museum dressed as janitors, and infiltrate the security system. Assane attends the auction in character as Paul Sernine.
- Juliette Pellegrini introduces the auction, and Assane begins competing with a wealthy German man named Herr Kruger in order to acquire the necklace. After making an extravagant bid, Assane wins.
- As he is being presented with the gems, Vincent and Kevin betray Assane and tie him and the auctioneer up, stealing what they believe to be the necklace (but which is actually Benjamin's copy that Assane has discreetly switched with the original). They attempt to get away, but, due to Rudy's incompetent driving, they crash through the glass ceiling of the Pyramide Inversée. The police arrive, extricate the men from the wreckage, and arrest them.
- After examining Assane, police captain Romain Laugier lets him leave. Assane quietly returns in his janitor's outfit and, as dawn approaches, he is able to sneak the real necklace out of the museum. Afterwards, he removes all traces of Paul Sernine's online presence.
Saturday, October 17th
- To Claire' pleasant surprise, Assane arrives punctually at her apartment for a visit with Raoul. While the two walk across the Seine, Assane gives Raoul the Arsène Lupin book that his father had given him twenty-five years earlier. Assane brings Raoul to Benjamin's shop, where Benjamin reveals that the necklace had never been taken apart, and that the Pellegrinis' story about its recovery is likely false.
Sunday, October 18th
- The Pellegrinis find out that the necklace recovered from Kevin, Vincent and Rudy was a fake.
- Assane sends Juliette a note with one of the diamonds attached, telling her to meet him in Luxembourg Gardens at 2:00 in the afternoon without police.
- Juliette arrives with the police in tow, including Laugier and Lieutenant Sofia Belkacem. Assane meets Juliette dressed as a takeout deliveryman. He covers up the microphone she is wearing on her jacket and asks her about the truth behind the necklace's origins. Juliette admits that she and her father lied in order to increase publicity, but maintains her belief that Babakar was guilty of having stolen it.
- Assane leaves the park on a bike. As the police try to catch him, a number of other identically-dressed deliverymen arrive on the scene, having been called in by Assane earlier. In the confusion, Assane manages to escape.
- Upon arriving at home, Assane realizes that several words in his father's letter to him are misspelled ("comet," "librarye"), which was unlike Babakar, who had always maintained that good spelling was of the utmost importance. Digging deeper, Assane learns that there was an Etienne Comet in the same prison as his father, who had worked in the library. He tells Benjamin about the connection, but Benjamin is skeptical and believes it is merely a coincidence.
October 19th-26th
- Juliette refuses to answer Laugier's questions about her meeting with Assane, and threatens to have him fired.
- Youssef Guédira, a junior detective, pieces together a theory that the Louvre thief is using the Arsène Lupin stories as inspiration. He presents it to Belkacem, who finds it ridiculous.
- Raoul becomes enamored with the Lupin book that Assane gave him.
- Assane switches places with an inmate in his father's former prison, and becomes involved in a feud. The injuries resulting from this send Assane to the infirmary, where he gains access to Etienne Comet, now a very ill man. Comet reveals that Babakar left a book in his cell that contains answers to Assane's questions. As he is clearly dying, he asks Assane to make his wife smile.
- Assane finds the book, and discovers that his father's message about Anne Pellegrini being responsible for his sentencing.
- In order to escape prison, Assane fakes a suicide with a noose, an overdose of sleeping pills, and a basketball net. He escapes after waking up in an ambulance.
- Assane breaks into Anne's hotel room and confronts her about Babakar. Anne admits to her role in his imprisonment, but maintains that she was told by Dumont that her actions would help him. She also reveals that she paid for Assane's education at the College d'Andrésy.
- Assane sneaks into Comet's wife's apartment and leaves her one of the diamonds from the necklace.
- Assane installs cameras around Dumont's home in order to keep tabs on his actions.
Tuesday, October 27th
- Assane, dressed as an IT man named Max, finds Dumont in a meeting at a town hall in central Paris. After cornering Dumont alone, Assane knocks him unconscious, and brings him to an isolated room in the underground section of the building. He puts Dumont's phone on a van headed for Pantin, a suburb northeast of Paris.
- When Dumont wakes up, Assane demands answers regarding Babakar's sentencing. Dumont maintains that he doesn't know what Assane is talking about. Assane threatens to reveal Dumont's past corruption to his wife; Dumont is horrified and says that he did it to pay for the education of his children.
- The interrogation is interrupted by a phone call from Claire, who once again asks Assane to tell her what he is really doing. Assane evades her questions, and Claire implores Assane not to get into too much trouble.
- The police receive news of Dumont's abduction. Guédira manages to find the location of Dumont's phone, and he, Laugier, Belkacem, and several other officers leave for Pantin.
- Assane, becoming more and more agitated by Dumont's refusal to give up information, threatens to make deepfakes using the footage of Dumont that he has obtained with the security cameras. Dumont is furious and demands to know what Assane wants. Losing his cool, Assane yells that he wants to find out what happened to his father. Dumont instantly realizes the identity of his kidnapper.
- At Pantin, the detectives discover the phone but no sign of their commissioner. Guédira suggests that Dumont never left City Hall, citing a similar storyline in an Arsène Lupin story. Although he is ridiculed, the officers agree to follow his hunch.
- Dumont, continuing to maintain that his handling of Babakar was completely above-board, tells Assane that if he lets him go, he will make sure that Assane does not suffer repercussions. Assane tells Dumont that he does not usually change his mind about people, but is willing to give it a try in Dumont's case. He ends the interrogation and leaves, just before the police arrive on the scene.
- Dumont returns to his house and angrily destroys all of Assane's cameras. He calls Hubert to tell him that a new party has become involved in the Diop case. However, Assane monitors the call through Dumont's virtual assistant, which he has hacked.
- Guédira tells Laugier and Belkacem that he thinks that the necklace theft and Dumont's kidnapping are connected.
October 28th-December 10th
- Assane flies a drone into Hubert's house. Benjamin monitors the footage and spots the name "Lucas Lacroix" on many of Hubert's papers.
- Assane tracks Dumont down in a café and asks him for more information about Hubert. When Assane promises not to harass him or his family any more, Dumont points him in the direction of Fabienne.
- After purchasing and reading Fabienne's book, Assane visits her at her home and attempts to convince her to help him by telling her about his father; however, she refuses.
- Laugier, Belkacem and Guedira tell Dumont about their theory that his kidnapper and the Louvre thief were the same person. Guedira also brings up the Arsène Lupin angle. While Dumont makes fun of him for this, he allows the three to begin collecting evidence in support of their theory.
- Fabienne contacts Assane and agrees to help him, telling him that she has nothing left to lose.
- Assane and Fabienne steal an incriminating tape containing footage of Hubert selling arms to Malaysian terrorists from the offices of The Objector.
- Assane tweets out a screenshot of the video under the username "Salvator813" and threatens to reveal its contents.
- News of the tweet reaches Juliette and Hubert. Juliette, fearing that bad publicity could interfere with the promotion of a charity she is founding, urges Hubert to hold a press conference to allay any rumors.
- The police make facial reconstructions of Assane using evidence provided by witnesses, but all of these look very different. However, one of them, made with the assistance of Vincent the loan shark, captures Assane's likeness almost perfectly.
- During a visit with Raoul, Assane finds out that Claire has begun to date other men.
- Hubert gives his press conference, in which he denies that there is anything incriminating on the tape. Fabienne, attending the press conference, loudly asks Hubert whether he feels responsible for the terrorist attack in Kuala Lumpur. Hubert becomes angry and ends the conference. Fabienne is followed home by Léonard.
- Assane congratulates Fabienne on her performance and tells her that he intends to reveal the contents of the tape on a nightly talk show called The Other Edition. Although Fabienne derides this as being not proper journalism, she agrees to his plan.
- Dumont claims that none of the facial reconstructions are his kidnapper, and removes Guédira from the case for coming up with the Arsène Lupin theory, assigning him paperwork to do instead. Guédira suspects that Dumont is lying about not recognizing Vincent's reconstruction and shares this with Laugier and Belkacem. Laugier urges Guédira to drop the matter.
- Heavily disguised in ageing makeup, Assane appears on The Other Edition; however, when the tape is played, it becomes clear that it has been doctored, with all of the incriminating sections removed. Furious, Assane storms out of the building, and Hubert, who is on the premises, receives a phone call from Juliette, who tells him that she suspects "Salvator" to be Assane Diop.
- After being informed of Assane's identity by Hubert, Léonard forces his way into Fabienne's home and demands to know his location. After she refuses, Leonard kills her but stages her death to look like a suicide by hanging. When Assane arrives at Fabienne's house and finds her body, he becomes extremely upset.
- Guédira watches The Other Edition and realizes that "Salvator" and the man in Vincent's reconstruction are the same person.
December 11th
- After receiving a phone notification telling him that it is Maurice Leblanc's birthday, Guédira decides to go to Étretat, where a festival in his honor is taking place. He tells Belkacem that he is not feeling well.
- Benjamin tries to cheer Assane up from his distress at Fabienne's death, and reminds him that he had promised to visit Raoul for his birthday. Assane leaves Fabienne's dog J'accuse with Benjamin.
- On the way to Claire and Raoul's apartment, Assane realizes that he is being followed by Léonard. He manages to lose Leonard's tail by sprinting up a parking garage and leaping across the roofs of Paris.
- Assane gives Raoul a Lupin-style top hat and cape for his birthday. The two convince Claire to come with them on their excursion, and Assane reveals his knowledge of Claire's new relationship, which embarrasses her.
- On the train, Assane reveals that they will be visiting Étretat for the Lupin festival. He and Claire begin to quote the books from memory, which Raoul finds mildly embarrassing.
- Claire takes a selfie with Assane and Raoul; upon inspecting it, Assane is stunned to see Léonard in the background. Léonard calls Hubert, who tells him to get rid of Assane but to leave Claire and Raoul alone. Assane begins loudly singing "happy birthday" and stares pointedly at Léonard. After distributing slices of marble cake to Claire and Raoul, Assane tells them that he is going to get drinks, and leaves, heading for the end of the train. Léonard gets up and follows him.
- Assane surprises Léonard from the inside of a storage closet, and the two begin fighting. Assane is easily able to overpower Léonard, and locks him inside the closet. When he returns to his seat, he tells Claire that he got into a fight with another Lupin fan over what the best book in the series is. Claire is both shocked and skeptical, but does not ask for more details.
- As the train nears the station, Léonard emerges from the storage closet, discreetly points a gun at Assane, and sits down next to Raoul, asking him about the family's plans for the day, which Raoul reveals. Claire is frightened by Léonard's presence, while Assane texts Laugier to tell him that "Paul Sernine" is on the train in a beige coat (actually worn by Leonard). In Paris, Laugier calls the local police and tells them to meet the train at the station.
- At Assane's urging, Claire and Raoul disembark ahead of him when the train arrives at the stations. After waiting for all of the other passengers to leave, Léonard marches Assane off the train at gunpoint. When they step onto the platform, they are met by several police officers, who arrest Léonard after finding his gun, as well as a diamond in his pocket that Assane had planted.
- Assane, Claire and Raoul make their way to Étretat. Raoul decides to walk along the beach.
- Léonard is let go after he is found to have a solid alibi for the time of the Louvre break-in, and a license for his gun. He drives to Étretat and kidnaps Raoul from the beach.
- Claire tells Assane that she is tired of begging him for information. Assane promises to come clean when he has sorted out his business about his father. Claire becomes worried when she realizes that she cannot see Raoul anywhere on the beach, and the two begin a search for him in vain.
- Guédira corners Assane and tells him and Claire that he saw Raoul getting abducted by Léonard. Claire begins freaking out while Assane urges her to stay calm and assures her that he will bring Raoul back. Claire, however, does not believe him. Guédira offers to help Assane find Raoul, and Assane agrees.
- After a stop in the town of Bourneville to call Hubert (who is shocked by what has happened), Léonard drives Raoul to an abandoned mansion in the countryside. Once inside, Léonard ties Raoul to a chair. Assane and Guédira arrive. Assane ties Guédira (who has discreetly called for assistance from Belkacem) up, revealing that he knows that Guédira is a police officer.
- Claire is dismayed by the police's bureaucracy-heavy response to her son's abduction. Distraught, she takes the train back to Paris, on which she sees a woman reading an article about Fabienne and "Salvator." Claire immediately recognizes Assane in the photograph of Salvator. Upon reaching Paris, she asks Benjamin about it, and pleads with him for help finding Raoul.
- Assane searches through the abandoned mansion for Raoul. He encounters Léonard; the two begin fighting and Assane ends up throwing Léonard out the window. However, Léonard manages to stand back up and lights his car on fire, with Raoul once again locked inside.
- Guédira successfully unties himself and hears shouts coming from the burning car. He rescues Raoul and the two drive off. Léonard calls Hubert to tell him what has happened, before maliciously texting Assane with a message instructing him to "try the car." Assane is horrified when he sees the car engulfed in flames, as he believes Raoul is still inside, and breaks down in tears. At that moment, Belkacem arrives and arrests him.
December 12th
- Guédira drives Raoul back to Paris. On the way, the two chat about their shared love for Arsène Lupin. Raoul says that Lupin reminds him of his father.
- At the abandoned mansion, Belkacem has Assane, still devastated by the previous day's events, in custody. She and a gendarmerie officer named Hector drive off, with Assane handcuffed in the backseat. On the way, Assane angrily begs Belkacem to tell him what they found in the trunk of Léonard's burned car. Belkacem eventually becomes fed up, and snaps at Assane that the only thing they found was a soda can. Assane realizes that Raoul managed to escape with Guédira, and is immensely relieved.
- Hector pulls into a service station in order to fill up the car. Assane asks to use the bathroom, and although Belkacem is highly suspicious of him, she tells Hector to take him. Once in the stall, Assane manages to slip out of his handcuffs and puts them onto Hector. He escapes by stealing the car of another man and shooting Belkacem's tires. When Belkacem, who has been paying for the gas, realizes what has happened, she is furious.
- Hubert, who has been made aware of Assane's escape, informs Dumont that Guédira is with Raoul, and tells him that they are going to use the teenager as bait for Assane. Dumont texts Guédira, telling him to bring Raoul to the Park Hyatt hotel in downtown Paris. However, it is Assane who receives the message, as he has possession of Guédira's cell phone.
- Hubert and Juliette make a promotional video with Thomas, the presenter from The Other Edition, in which they discuss Juliette's foundation. Hubert also uses the opportunity to condemn the actions of "Salvator." Afterwards, he is informed that Raoul's mother wants to see him.
- Hubert meets with Claire, who has learned the full story after her conversation with Benjamin. She offers to exchange the diamonds from the necklace for her son, but Hubert tells Claire that he doesn't want the jewels; rather, he wants Assane. Desperate with worry and entirely out of her depth, Claire gives in to Hubert's demand.
- Guédira arrives at Claire and Raoul's apartment but he finds a number of Hubert's henchmen, led by Pascal Oblet, stationed outside. Pascal tells Guédira that he is a police officer as well, and that Dumont wants Raoul brought to the Hyatt. Guédira is confused and suspicious but complies. When he is back at the police station, he finds his phone and a note from Assane thanking him for saving Raoul.
- Hubert and Juliette are also at the Hyatt, as Juliette is hosting a promotional event for her foundation there. Hubert visits Raoul and tells him that his father is a thief. Raoul angrily denies this, but is unable to answer when Hubert asks him what Assane does for a living.
- Assane infiltrates Juliette's event dressed as a waiter, but is quickly spotted by security. Although Assane easily knocks out the guards on his tail, he re-thinks his strategy and uses audio from the video made by Hubert and Juliette earlier that day to disguise his voice so that it will sound like Hubert's. He calls Dumont and, using Hubert's voice, tells him to bring Raoul to a black van waiting outside the hotel. Dumont is stunned by the order, but does as he is told. Raoul gets into the van and Assane drives him to safety.
- In the car, Raoul asks Assane whether he really is a thief. Assane admits that he is, and reveals the reason why he is seeking vengeance on Hubert. Assane offers to stop, but Raoul encourages him to continue. Assane is overjoyed by his son's approval.
- At the Hyatt, Dumont receives another call from "Hubert" but is confused as Hubert is standing near him and not using his phone. He is horrified when he realizes what has happened, but Hubert tells him not to worry, as he has one final trick up his sleeve in his deal with Claire.
- At her apartment, Claire watches anxiously as Assane's van pulls up. She is overjoyed when Raoul gets out, but becomes worried again when she sees Assane accompanying him. Claire pleads with Pascal, who is waiting in her apartment with three other men, for a moment alone with her son. Pascal relents, and Claire rushes out of the apartment and covers Raoul with kisses and hugs. Assane watches them happily, but when Claire sees him, she tells him to run. Seeing that she is genuinely afraid, Assane dashes away right before Pascal and his men burst out of Claire's apartment. He hides in the ceiling.
- Pascal, believing that Assane escaped onto the street, leaves the building with his men. Once they are back in their apartment, Claire hugs Raoul and, sobbing, tells him that they cannot see Assane any more, as he is dangerous. In the ceiling, Assane is upset when he overhears her words.
