The French editor of Elle magazine, Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind.

France, 1760. Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Heloise, a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Heloise by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Heloise first moments of freedom. Heloise portrait soon becomes a collaborative act...

In 1963, student Anne has a bright future ahead of her, but her dreams of finishing her studies is shattered when she becomes pregnant. As her final exams approach, Anne decides to take matters into her own hands.

Paris, 1993. Jacques is a semi-renowned writer and single father in his thirties trying to maintain his sense of romance and humor in spite of the turmoil in his life and the world. While on a work trip to Brittany, he meets Arthur, an aspiring filmmaker in his early twenties, who is experiencing a sexual awakening and eager to get out of his parochial life. Arthur becomes instantly smitten with the older man.

Volume II plates are photographic reproductions on cream paper of toile fabric designs from the 18th and 19th century, originally produced from copper engravings. Many examples of toile de Jouy and calico.

Set in a surreal Paris, Duris plays wealthy bachelor Colin, whose hobbies include developing his pianocktail (a cocktail-making piano) and devouring otherworldly dishes prepared by his trusty chef Nicolas. At a party, Colin meets Chloé and, before they know it, they're plunging headfirst into a romance that is tested when an unusual illness plagues Chloé.