Follows Durtal, a shy, censorious man, who is writing a biography of Gilles de Rais. Bored by the vulgarity of everyday life, he seeks spiritual solace by immersing himself in another age. But when he meets the exquisitely evil Madame Chantelouve, he is drawn into the twilight world of black magic a...

Follows Durtal, a shy, censorious man, who is writing a biography of Gilles de Rais. Bored by the vulgarity of everyday life, he seeks spiritual solace by immersing himself in another age. But when he meets the exquisitely evil Madame Chantelouve, he is drawn into the twilight world of black magic and erotic devilry in fin-de-siecle Paris.