The Trampling of the Lilies

Set on the eve of revolutionary upheaval, the narrative follows La Boulaye, a secretary to a provincial marquis whose sympathy with new political ideas and a forbidden attachment to the marquis's daughter embroil him in peasant unrest, accusations of murder, and vindictive punishment. Cast out, imprisoned, and later escaping, he becomes entangled with committed revolutionaries, acts of betrayal, and legal tribunals as shifting loyalties and moral choices test honor and gratitude. The story traces his struggles across countryside and city, examining class conflict, revolutionary justice, personal sacrifice, and the consequences of idealism amid violence and social collapse.