A young man tries to climb up the cutthroat Parisian social ladder during the Bourbon Restoration.

Two women write letters to tell each other about their lives and loves.

Short fiction from the “Scenes from Private Life” section of Balzac’s Human Comedy.

A young daughter seeks independence on her own terms.

A mysterious lawyer shows up in a town, opens a practice, and starts a newspaper.

A young man ventures out on his own and suffers the consequences of his pride and impulsiveness.

Two sisters experience very different marriages, and one is saved from a disastrous liaison.

A young man falls for an older woman, who introduces him to a friend in order to distract him.

A young couple work through the details of negotiating a marriage contract.

The story of a young woman who marries badly, told in several vignettes covering the remainder of her life.

A young woman with a miserly father falls in love with her cousin.

As a young woman and her husband try to make something of their printing business, her brother tries to find success as an author in Paris.