Before the reader - "a recent story, compiled on the basis of genuine letters from its participants."

Young Edmond R ***, the son of a large, prosperous peasant, is taken to the city and placed in his apprenticeship with the artist, Mr. Parangon. The shyness of the young villager is called uncouth in the city, his holiday peasant clothes are considered unfashionable, “some work” is considered to be shameful at all, and the owners never do it themselves, but they force him, because although he is not a servant, he is obedient and complaisant, he complains he is in a letter to his older brother Pierre.

But gradually, Edmond gets used to urban life. The cousin of the mistress, the charming Mademoiselle Manon, who disposes in the house in the absence of Madame Parangon, first humiliates the new student in every way, and then begins to openly flirt with him. The maid of Tienetta, by contrast, constantly encourages Edmond. Tienetta is the daughter of respectable parents who fled from home so that they would not marry her against her will. Her lover, Mr. Luazo, followed her, and now lives here, in the city.

Unnoticed, Edmond falls in love with Mademoiselle Manon; he dreams of marrying her. His desire coincides with the intentions of Mr. Parangon, for Manon is his lover and expects a child from him. Having married her to a village simpleton, Mr. Parangon expects to continue to use the location of the girl. Mr. Godet, with whom Parangon introduces Edmond, is doing everything to expedite the wedding.

Mrs. Parangon returns; her beauty and charm make an indelible impression on Edmond.

Edmond Jursül's sister comes to town; Madame Parangon takes her under guardianship and will interfere with her aunt, the venerable Madame Canon. Seeing that Edmond is passionate about Mademoiselle Manon, Tienetta, on behalf of Madame Parangon, reveals to him the secret of the relationship of this girl with Mr. Parangon. “What a nativity scene of the city!” Edmond says indignantly.

However, his anger quickly passes: he feels that he cannot part with a city that at the same time loves and hates. And the beautiful Manon, having renounced her errors, assures Edmond of the sincerity of her feelings for him and, as a proof of her love, gives him every right to dispose of her dowry. Edmond secretly marries Manon, and she goes to the monastery to get rid of the burden there.

Edmond goes to the village to visit his parents. There he casually seduces his cousin Laura. The freethinker and libertine Godet, who became Edmond's best friend, advises him to take revenge on Mr. Parangon: to console himself with his wife. But for now, Edmond is in awe of Madame Parangon.

Ms. Parangon does not mind that Edmond had "restrained love" for her, for she is sure that she can keep him within the proper boundaries. The "boundless respect" that Edmond has for the "ideal of beauty" - Mrs. Parangon, is gradually turning into love.

Manon has a son, and Mr. Parangon takes him to the village. Edmond admits that he is married to Manon. Madame Parangon forgives her cousin and squanders her caresses and attention, like Yursuli and Tienetge. Manon is imbued with the ideals of virtue and does not want to renew his previous relationship with Mr. Parangon. “True happiness lies only in a clear conscience, in a blameless heart," she declares. With the assistance of Madame Parangon, Tienetta reconciles with her parents and marries Mr. Luazo. Jursul, along with Mrs. Canon, goes to Paris to improve her upbringing.

Upon learning that Edmond has seduced Laura, Manon writes an angry letter to Godet, accusing him of “corrupting” Edmond, and dies. Before dying, she conjures her husband to beware of friendship with Godet and the charm of her cousin, Madame Parangon.

Madame Parangon goes to Paris to tell Yursuli about the grief that befell her brother. Edmond is saddened - first by the death of his wife, then - by separation from Mrs. Parangon. Laura gives birth to a child of Edmond - the daughter of Loretta. “What a sweet name - father! A lucky elder, you will wear it without remorse, but for me natural joys, at the very source, are poisoned by a crime! .. ”- Edmond writes with envy to his brother, who marries a modest village girl and is waiting for the addition of the family

Godet enters into a criminal relationship with Laura and takes her for maintenance. Using the absence of Mrs. Parangon, he introduces Edmond into the society of girls, “free from prejudice” and inspires him with dangerous sophisms, casting him “into the abyss of disbelief and debauchery”. Godet admits that he "seduced Edmond", but only because he "wished him happiness." Having learned the lessons of his mentor, Edmond, in letters to Madame Parangon, dares to reveal his passion for her. Ms. Parangon does not love her husband, who is constantly cheating on her, she has been living her own life for a long time, but nevertheless she wants to maintain a clean relationship with Edmond: “Let's expel, brother, from our relationship everything that looks like the relationship of lovers. I’m your sister ... ”She also warns Edmond against Godet’s corrupting influence.

Edmond burns with passion for Madame Parangon. An unhappy woman, whose heart has long been full of love for a daring villager, is trying to resist their mutual attraction. “It’s easier for me to die than to lose respect for you ...” she writes to Edmond. Godet cynically advises his ward to take possession of the “charming impassable”: in his opinion, a victory over her will drive ridiculous reverence for female virtue out of his heart and drain his “village drooling”; defeating Madame Parangon, he will become "the most beautiful moth fluttering in the colors of love." And then the fiery Edmond commits violence against Mrs. Parangon. For several days, the unfortunate victim is between life and death. When she finally wakes up, she irrevocably removes Edmond from herself. In the classroom hour, her daughter is born - Edme-Colette. A letter comes from Madame Canon - Yursul has been abducted! She “did not lose her chastity, but lost her innocence ...” Edmond rushes to Paris, challenges the offending marquise to a duel, wounds him, but, having quenched his thirst for revenge, he immediately bandages the wound of his opponent. While Edmond is hiding, Mrs. Parangon intervenes in front of the Marquis family. As a result, the old Earl promises Edmond his protection, he is received in the light, and the ladies, delighted with his beauty, rush to order his portraits to him.

Edmond stays in Paris. At first, he did not like the city for its vanity, but gradually he gets used to the life of the capital and begins to find inexplicable charm in it. By acting on Edmond's mind, Godet extinguishes his religious feelings. “A natural person knows no other good besides his own benefit and safety; he sacrifices everything around him to them; it is his right; it is the right of all living beings, ”Godet instructs his young friend.

Yursuli has a son, the Marquis wants to legitimize him by marrying her even against the will of the family. Jursül rejects his offer, but agrees to give the baby up for education to the parents of the Marquis. The old count quickly marries his son to a wealthy heiress.

Former applicants for the hand of Yursul refuse her, fearing that her adventure will be made public. Resentful of his sister, Edmond tries to keep her on the path of decency, but he himself goes into amusement, visits the accessible girls of the lowest cost. Godet, who has "some views" of Edmond, rebukes his friend: "a man who has overcome prejudices," should not lose his head and indulge in meaningless pleasures.

The kidnapper Jursuli introduces Edmond to his young wife, and she orders him his portrait. Soon they become lovers. Godet favors this connection: a young aristocrat may be useful for Edmond's career.

Jursul falls in love with a certain Laguasha, “a man without means and without any merits” and runs away from home with him. Having achieved his, the villain immediately throws her. Having tasted the fruits of debauchery, Yursul agrees to become a kept woman of the Marquis, who is still in love with her. Moreover, she asks for his wife's consent to this and even offers to share with her the money that her lover endows. The perverse marquise is delighted with the ingenuity and cynicism of the recent village. Guided by Godet, Jursul becomes an expensive courtesan and, for fun, seduces her own brother. Edmond is shocked.

Yursul reaches the extreme point of fall: devastated and disgraced by one of her lovers, she is married to a water-carrier. The outraged Edmond kills Lagouas - the main, in his opinion, the culprit in the misfortunes of his sister.

Edmond goes down: lives in the attic, visits disgusting dens. In one of these institutions, he meets Yursul. The water-carrier left her, she was finally mired in the most base debauchery and, in addition, caught a bad disease. On the advice of Godet, Edmond puts her in a shelter.

Finally discouraged, Edmond also wallows in base debauchery. Having hardly found him, Godet tries to cheer him up. “Grasp your art again and renew your connection with Madame Parangon,” he advises.

Young courtesan Zephyr falls in love with Edmond. Marrying a wealthy elder Trismegistus, she hopes to take advantage of his fortune for the good of her lover. Soon, Marshmallow informs her husband that she is expecting a baby from Edmond; Mr. Trismegistus is ready to recognize the future baby. Moved by Zephyr, she embarks on the path of virtue, and although her soul is full of love for Edmond, she remains faithful to her noble husband. Wishing blessings to her former lover, she persuades him to unite with his loving mistress Parangon, who recently became a widower. Late: Godet finds a wife for Edmond - a disgusting, but rich old woman, and he, having parted with Laura, marries her no less ugly granddaughter. Having married, both women make wills in favor of their husbands.

Mrs. Parangon, having found Yursul, takes her from the shelter. Zephyra gives birth to a son; She meets Mrs. Parangon.

Under the guise of treatment, Godet is poisoning his wife and Edmond's wife. Accused of murder, Edmond and Godet resist the arrest of those who appeared to arrest them; Edmond inadvertently injures Zephyr.

At the court, Godet, wanting to save a friend, takes all the blame on himself. He is sentenced to death, and Edmond - to ten years of hard labor and cutting off his hands.

The widowed Marquis again offers Yursuli to marry him in order to legitimize his son. With the approval of Ms. Parangon Jursul accepts the offer. After serving his term, Edmon escapes his friends who are waiting for him and sets off to wander: he visits the graves of his parents, admires his brother's children from afar. Seeing Yursul in the carriage of the Marquis, he decides that his sister has again embarked on the path of vice, and stabs her. Upon learning of his tragic mistake, Edmond becomes desperate. Rumor has it that he is no longer alive.

Suddenly, in the village church, where Edmond’s brother Pierre lives, a picture appears: a man who looks like the ill-fated Edmond stabs a woman who is surprisingly reminiscent of Yursul. Nearby are two more women who resemble Zephyra and Ms. Parangon. "Who could bring this picture, if not the Miserable himself?" - asks Pierre.

The daughter of Mrs. Parangon and the son of Zephyra, by mutual inclination, enter into marriage. Marshmallow receives a repentant letter from Edmond: “Bring me, oh you all who loved me, disdain my feelings! Despise the shadow of a man who has survived himself, and most importantly, find out that all the losses that he recently suffered were not his fault, but were the result of his former licentiousness. ” The repentant Edmond calls for the protection of children whose birth was associated with a crime. alas, his warning was belated: two sons were already born from the incestuous connection of Edme-Coletta and Zephyrene.

Responding to the call of Mrs. Parangon, the crippled Edmond comes to his former lover, and they finally combine a legal marriage.

But Edmond’s happiness is short: he soon falls under the wheels of a carriage in which Yursuli’s son and his young wife ride, and dies in terrible agony. Following him, the inconsolable Lady Parangon dies.

“Crime does not go unpunished. Manon, as well as Mr. Parangon, were punished by a painful disease, Kara Gode was even more severe, the right hand of the Most High punished Yursul; the highly esteemed person was afflicted by the person she loved; Edmond himself, rather weak than criminal, received according to his deeds; The Marquis and his first wife fell under the blows of the scourge of a fighter angel. God is fair. ”

Struck by a fatal affliction, Zephyren dies. Upon learning that her husband was her brother at the same time, Edme-Coletta passed away, entrusting the children to Uncle Pierre.

Fulfilling the last will of Mrs. Parangon and Zephyra, Pierre is building a model village for the descendants of the genus P ***. “Considering how detrimental for morality to stay in the city”, the founders of the village forever forbid members of the P *** family to live in the city.