Das Leiden eines Knaben

In the hushed chambers of Versailles, a weary monarch seeks solace from the relentless pageantry of his reign. When Louis XIV confides in Madame de Maintenon about his newly appointed confessor—a gaunt, wolf‑faced Jesuit whose austere reputation promises a stricter moral compass—the court’s delicate balance teeters on the edge of intrigue. Their conversation, peppered with wry observations and subtle power plays, reveals a king both vulnerable and cunning, yearning for honest counsel amid the opulence that surrounds him.

Against this backdrop of gilded corridors and whispered rivalries, the story follows the intersecting lives of the royal physician, the steadfast Marquise, and the young noblewomen tutored at Saint‑Cyr. Their loyalties, ambitions, and quiet rebellions intertwine, offering a vivid portrait of a world where personal conscience clashes with absolute authority. Listeners will be drawn into the elegant yet fraught atmosphere of a court where every gesture hides a deeper motive.