In which a year of itinerant discomfort and slender means leads the young preceptor and his charge to navigate the dim interiors of Paris with gentle irony and a measured camaraderie, their existence marked by delicate neglect and patched garments. The tutor confronts the elusive guardianship of his patrons with a quiet resolve and finds, in his growing understanding of their character, a clearer light upon the curious and complicated world he inhabits.