Henri Charrier (Steve McQueen), nicknamed Papillon, is about to be exiled to a hard labor camp called "Devil's Island" in Guyana to serve a life sentence. Charrier was arrested and imprisoned for killing a pimp, but he always believed that he was wronged. On the escort ship, the strong Charrier protected a cunning intellectual with glasses, Louis Degas (Dustin Hoffman). In order to wash his name, Charrier began to plan his escape from prison with the help of Degas from the first day he set foot on "Devil's Island". However, "Devil's Island" is located in a wild place, surrounded by water, and terrible diseases are prevalent everywhere. Charrier escaped from prison again and again, and was caught again and again. For more than ten years, he still jumped into the sea with a bag of coconut shells to escape. The classic American prison escape adventure drama "Papillon" is adapted from the best-selling book of the same name published by French prisoner Henri Charrier in 1969. Papillon is Henry Charlier's nickname, which comes from the butterfly-shaped tattoo on his chest. The film was nominated for the Best Original Score in a Drama Series at the 46th Academy Awards in 1974, and was nominated for the Best Actor in a Drama Series at the 31st Golden Globe Awards in 1974.