The novella opens in Paris on the Rue Saint-Denis with a description of a very old house. Opposite the house, a young man stands in the pouring rain. He stares at the house, waiting for a glimpse of a young girl.

In this story, Balzac examines how class differences impact the relationship between men and women and asks the question ‘does it take a particular kind of  woman to live with a man of genius?’