
language: Finnish
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Midnight bells echo through the bustling streets of Paris as the city celebrates the final week of carnival. In the glittering hall of an opera ball, a young cavalry officer named Léon navigates a sea of masked faces, drawn into a swirl of intrigue when two elegant figures capture the crowd’s attention. One of the women, isolated and frightened, clutches his hand and pleads for rescue, pulling him into a clandestine conversation that spirals from polite curiosity to a heated exchange about freedom, loyalty, and longing.
Their dialogue, laced with witty repartee and simmering tension, reveals the thin line between appearances and desire that masks both conceal. As Léon offers protection, the mysterious lady challenges his notions of love and duty, hinting at hidden motives beneath the festive façade. Listeners will be swept into a vivid portrait of Parisian high society, where the allure of disguise masks deeper passions waiting to be uncovered.
Language
fi
Duration
~1 hours (92K characters)
Release date
2025-04-18
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1799–1850
A giant of French fiction, this restless, ambitious storyteller built a whole literary world in La Comédie humaine, capturing the dreams, vanities, and struggles of 19th-century society. His novels still feel lively because they care so much about money, power, love, and the ways people reinvent themselves.
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