A cynical aristocrat attempts to manipulate the lives of two young women, setting off a chain of events that exposes the fragility of social conventions. Pierre Costals, a successful novelist, navigates the complexities of his romantic entanglements with Solange Dandillot and Andrée Hacquebaut. He seeks to maintain his personal freedom and intellectual detachment while the women pursue him with varying degrees of desperation and expectation. The narrative framework utilizes a detached, analytical tone to examine the power dynamics inherent in these relationships, highlighting the protagonist's cold calculation against the emotional vulnerability of his counterparts.

Discussion often centers on the polarizing nature of the protagonist and the author's unflinching portrayal of his narcissism. Readers frequently highlight the clinical precision with which the narrative dissects the power imbalances between men and women in the interwar period. Critics often note the stylistic elegance of the prose, which contrasts sharply with the often unpleasant subject matter. The work is frequently cited for its intellectual rigor and its refusal to offer moral comfort to the reader, making it a significant study of ego and social artifice.