Ursula

The story opens with a tender dedication to a young niece, setting a tone of affection and gentle humor. It quickly transports listeners to the picturesque town of Nemours, where the tranquil autumn landscape frames the daily life of its inhabitants. The narrator introduces Minoret‑Levrault, a stout postmaster whose practical wisdom and modest habits paint a vivid portrait of a man shaped by the Revolution and the Empire, yet content to live by simple, unpretentious rules.

We also meet his only son, a freshly graduated lawyer on the brink of choosing a career, and his supportive parents who have cultivated a modest fortune from the surrounding farms and woods. Their world is one of quiet ambition, family expectations, and the subtle interplay of social mobility in post‑Napoleonic France. As the first act unfolds, listeners will be drawn into the gentle rhythms of provincial life, the characters’ hopes, and the quiet humor that underlies their everyday choices.