The Bondwoman

In the gentle hills near the source of the Seine, Madame Blanc runs the Levigne Pension, a refuge for educated ladies whose fortunes have faded. Across the Atlantic, a sharp‑witted Creole named Madame Trouvelot manages a small industrial school for needy girls, tracing her own tangled marriages while staying true to a promise made to a French marquise. Together their stories weave a portrait of women straddling two continents, bound by charity, ambition, and the lingering shadows of slavery.

At a Parisian salon, the tall, blue‑eyed Lieutenant Kenneth McVeigh arrives, freshly graduated from West Point and carrying the weight of a Southern plantation family. His charm and disciplined bearing draw the attention of the salon’s glittering guests, while his conflicted loyalty to both American land and French society hints at deeper currents. As friendships blossom and old rivalries surface, listeners are invited to follow the delicate dance of honor, desire, and identity that shapes the first act of this layered saga.