L'argent des autres: 1. Les hommes de paille

Set in the hushed back‑streets of the Marais, the tale opens on a sun‑drenched Saturday in April 1872, where the orderly houses of rue Saint‑Gilles seem to guard only routine. A lone domestic, dressed in the crisp livery of house‑servants, drifts from door to door, probing neighbors about a man named Vincent Favoral—the quiet, exacting accountant known as the “Bureau‑Exactitude” of the local credit office. Through wine‑filled chatter, a portrait emerges: a gaunt, precise figure whose life is measured in ledgers and whose disciplined reputation haunts the street.

Yet his questions are not idle; his cousin, a skilled cook, has sent him to collect information that could be worth far more than a simple recommendation. The tight‑knit community trades secrets as readily as coins, and the calm rhythm of daily life masks subtle financial maneuverings. In this first act the quiet street becomes a stage for hidden ambitions and the uneasy price of trust.