The story takes place during the Restoration, a period when the dominant values are hypocrisy, social niceties and appearances. Antoinette de Navarreins, a Parisian coquette and wife of Duke de Langeais, is a product of her society. At a ball, she meets General Armand de Montriveau who seems to be her exact opposite. He has just returned from Africa and has little interest in Parisian society. On their first encounter, the Duchess and the General fall hopelessly in love with each other. For months, they meet every evening from eight to ten, as social etiquette requires. But Montriveau, a free spirit, wants to love the Duchess in broad daylight. Afraid of her feelings and bound to the rules of society, she rejects him. Convinced that the duchess is playing games, Montriveau decides to ignore his beloved. Desperate, she tries to reach out to him, endangering her reputation and status. When her last attempt fails, she disappears. Five years later, Montriveau arrives on a Spanish island. He has been searching for Antoinette in all the convents of Europe and America. In the monastery on the island he finally finds her. But it is too late for a material/physical love, and their story will remain as Montriveau murmurs “a book read during childhood, a poem”.