Adieu

Summary

"Adieu" by Honoré de Balzac is a short story published in 1830. After Baron Philippe de Sucy encounters a mysterious, insane woman who only speaks one word—"Adieu"—he discovers she is Comtesse Stephanie de Vandieres, whom he once loved. Their tragic connection traces back to Napoleon's catastrophic Russian campaign and the harrowing retreat across the Beresina River in 1812. Driven by love and desperation, Philippe devises an audacious plan to restore Stephanie's shattered memory, recreating the traumatic past in hopes of healing her mind. (This is an automatically generated summary.)