In this gripping novella, French literary master Gustave Flaubert revisits one of the most dramatic events of the Bible and presents his own imaginative spin on the tale. The Herodias of the story's title is a princess who has concocted a devious plan to compel her husband to fall in love with her young daughter from a previous union, Salome. Once Salome has won his heart, Herodias instructs her to request the execution of John the Baptist.