Leaving his native Ardèche, Silvius Andromas, the son of a humble farmer, made the right choice. And though his love for Roxane, the daughter of a wealthy Lyon silk merchant, brought disappointment, at least he learned through his interactions with his in-laws to stand on his own two feet. Silvius easily attained a highly enviable position among the merchant class. But he was criticized for having been right too soon. Silvius and his friend Soares, an enigmatic dandy, understood that the world had changed.
Leaving his native Ardèche, Silvius Andromas, the son of a humble farmer, made the right choice. And though his love for Roxane, daughter of a wealthy Lyon silk merchant, brought disappointment, at least he learned, through his interactions with his in-laws, to stand on his own two feet. Silvius easily attained a highly enviable position among the merchants. But he was criticized for having been right too soon. Silvius and his friend Soares, an enigmatic dandy, understood that the world had changed. From the decline of natural silk, a new ambition had to be forged. While Roxane's family business faltered, her husband's flourished in the production of artificial silk. The transformations of the new century formed a merciless dividing line between the illusions of yesterday and the hopes of tomorrow. Having been neglected, cheated, deceived, and humiliated for so long, was Silvius still available to Roxane? Can passion and reason be reconciled? The Great War is approaching. It is too late for dreams, and if Silvius returns to Fontbelair on the eve of 1914, it is to close the doors on his past forever.
