The story of the Hulot family. Risen to eminence under Napoleon 1, their aristocratic values leave them bewildered and vulnerable in the money-ridden burgeois Paris of the 1840s. It is also the story of Bette herself, the poor relation whose patient malice finally leads to their demise.

The story of the Hulot family. Risen to eminence under Napoleon 1, their aristocratic values leave them bewildered and vulnerable in the money-ridden burgeois Paris of the 1840s. It is also the story of Bette herself, the poor relation whose patient malice finally leads to their demise.