
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
Apr 18, 2025
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1799–1850
Best known for the vast world of La Comédie humaine, this French novelist turned ordinary ambitions, debts, scandals, and desires into stories that still feel startlingly alive. His books helped shape literary realism by showing society in all its energy, vanity, and struggle.
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