In Napoleon Bonaparte's novella, triumphant soldier Clisson turns his back on worldly success. He falls in love and marries Eugénie, and they live the simple life until Clisson is called back into battle.

The tragic story of Clisson and Eugénie reveals that Napoleon was also an accomplished writer of fiction, and offers a fascinating insight into how he viewed love, women, and military life.

Aged twenty-six, having already known success as a soldier, Napoleon was at a low ebb both professionally and personally when he began Clisson and Eugénie, and there are parallels between his life and their story.