Here, in Zola's sixth novel in the Rougon-Macquart series, we get to know Pierre and Felicite's eldest son, Eugene. He's the son that made good, and stands at the pinnacle of power, at the very ear of the Emperor. But power carries with it its own perils, and so Eugene must face all manner of downturns and reversals to his fortune, and must encounter obstacles of all kinds, the chief of which being Clorinde Dalbi, an Italian beauty with the ambition and deviousness to match his own. - Summary by Mark Leder