A wealthy urban boulevard hides a peculiar villa whose plain exterior conceals opulent interiors; its owner, a once-idealistic public figure turned withdrawn magnate, stages extravagant entertainments while his household reflects declining aristocratic manners. Two sons embody opposing paths: the elder adopts his father's dissipations, the younger pursues serious study abroad and returns with academic honors and a resolve toward an honest, modest relationship. The narrative traces family tensions, contrasting public display and private vice, the collision of hedonism with puritan restraint, and the social milieu that both enables and criticizes. Episodes range from intimate domestic scenes to broader sketches of fashionable society, exposing hypocrisies and moral choices.