1857. It has been five years since Baron Haussmann began his colossal endeavour: remodelling Paris into a modern capital. The city is at the centre of such a storm of real estate speculation that not every means employed to ensure the success of an investment stays within the confines of the law. In the middle of this financial free-for-all, a new generation of Saint-Huberts will clash, the children of Charlotte and those of Christian, two branches seemingly unable to escape the hatred the sister and the brother have for each other.