It begins with the undignified scene of two young men on a Parisian stagecoach, boasting about their love affairs with older, married women. Hubris turns to tragedy when the coach overturns, leaving one of the men with fatal injuries. However, drama dictates that there is always time for some final words before death. The dying man gives his travelling companion a mission - collect love letters from his house and deliver them to his lover, a countess. How will the countess react to the news of her lover's death? And how will the count take the news that she was betraying him? If you like this classic short story by Honoré de Balzac about betrayal, try 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy or 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier.