Paul and Louise get married as World War I breaks out. After two years on the frontline, Paul maims himself and deserts his post. To hide when he is condemned to death in war-torn Paris, Louise dresses him up as a woman. He becomes Suzanne, drags his wife around the debauched Paris of the Golden Twenties and earns quite a reputation for himself.

Set in Belle Époque France, the story follows nineteen-year-old "hysteria" patient Augustine, the star of Professor Charcot's experiments in hypnosis, as she transitions from object of study to object of desire.