Young, handsome, dashing but cynical, Octave Mouret arrives in Paris, determined to conquer the belles of the capital.

Juliette Hardy is sexual dynamite, and has the men of a French coastal town panting. But Antoine, the only man who affects her likewise, wouldn’t dream of settling down with…

Nathalie falls for Baptiste Debureau, a mime. But his heart is set on Garance, who is also coveted by Frederick Lemaitre and the Count of Montray.

In pre-World Ward I in Paris, a budding artist, Pierre LeBlanc, falls in love and marries Janine, a dressmaker’s assistant. Pierre has a flair for designing clothes, and he and…