Renée Néré finds herself in the solitude of her dressing room, applying makeup before performing at a French music hall. As she gazes into the mirror, her reflection seems to question her choices, asking why she sits there in isolation. While awaiting her cue to step on stage, Renée ponders whether anyone or anything might enter her dressing room and disrupt her self-imposed solitude. Although she yearns for something to liberate her from this lonely existence, she also harbors a deep-seated fear of change.

An Unexpected Invitation

After her performance, Renée returns to her dressing room to discover a note from Maxime Dufferein-Chautel, the marquis de Fontanges. In his message, the marquis compliments her stage talents and expresses curiosity about her other abilities, extending an invitation for dinner. Despite the offer, Renée decides to decline, choosing instead to remain alone.

Reflecting on the Past

Renée finds herself alone once more, reflecting on her tumultuous eight-year marriage and subsequent three-year separation from Adolphe Taillandy, a pastelist known for his deceit and infidelity. As a young wife, Renée had been plagued by jealousy and turmoil, eventually turning to literature as a solace. She authored four books with varying degrees of success, but after leaving Taillandy, she faced ostracism from their middle-class acquaintances. This prompted her move to a ground-floor apartment in Paris and her pursuit of a career in the music hall scene.

Facing the Past

Renée's colleague, Brague, arranges an evening performance at a private home, where Renée is to dance for a select audience. Among the spectators, she recognizes several of her former husband's mistresses, their eyes betraying shock at her presence. Despite the painful memories, Renée is undaunted, understanding that she is not the one who wronged them.

A Surprising Visit

Winter sets in, and Renée's friend Hamond unexpectedly brings Maxime to dinner at her apartment, uninvited. Renée is not easily impressed by Maxime's advances and treats him dismissively. As the music hall show concludes, Renée wonders about her next steps. Maxime's persistent visits make Renée confront her own yearning for companionship. When Maxime confesses his love, she hesitates, confiding in Hamond that her disastrous marriage has left her wary of loving again.

Departure and Discovery

With a contract secured for a forty-day tour of provincial theaters alongside Brague, Renée eagerly shares her plans with Maxime and Hamond. Maxime pays her a visit, pleading for her to remain in Paris, and in a moment of vulnerability, kisses her. Though she initially resists, Renée eventually surrenders to the kiss, experiencing a resurgence of desire. Yet, this creates an inner conflict as she associates giving in to passion with the humiliation she endured in her past marriage.

Choosing Independence

Haunted by her past, Renée refuses to give herself fully to Maxime, unable to trust him or her own emotions. However, by the time she departs on her tour, her feelings for Maxime have deepened. They reach an agreement to live together upon her return, with Renée promising to open her heart to him completely. She embarks on her journey with a sense of optimism, leaving a love letter for Maxime, declaring her readiness to embrace a new life with him.

A Change of Heart

During her travels, Renée and Maxime maintain a passionate correspondence. Nonetheless, as she journeys further from Paris and revisits the landscapes of her childhood, doubts begin to surface. In Avignon, she receives a letter from Maxime, who, sensing her emotional withdrawal, proposes marriage. Renée's internal struggle intensifies as she weighs the prospect of matrimony, with its comforts and constraints, against her cherished independence despite its challenges.

An Uncertain Future

As the tour draws to a close, Renée starts to distance herself from Maxime mentally. Upon returning to Paris, she discreetly enters her apartment alone and leaves a note for Maxime, stating she will not see him again. She resumes her life as a wandering artist, setting off for a tour in South America, embracing the freedom and solitude that define her existence.