The novel is narrated by a successful Parisian lawyer who has moved to Amsterdam after a crisis of conscience. He confesses his past misdeeds and moral failings to a stranger in a bar, revealing his growing self-loathing and disillusionment with the hypocrisy and shallowness of his former life. His confessions are a reflection on guilt, innocence, and the nature of human existence. The protagonist's fall from grace serves as a critique of modern society's moral failings and the individual's struggle with guilt and redemption.

The book in question is a historical narrative that provides a detailed account of the events, politics, and warfare of the 14th century, particularly focusing on the Hundred Years' War between England and France. The author, a medieval French chronicler, compiled extensive anecdotes, interviews, and reports, offering readers a vivid portrayal of the chivalric age, the lives of nobility, the impact of battles, and the social and political dynamics of the time. His work is considered one of the most important primary sources for the period it covers, offering a blend of factual history and the author's own interpretations and biases, reflecting the complex tapestry of medieval European society.

"La Géométrie" introduces a revolutionary approach to mathematics by merging algebra and geometry into a single discipline. The work outlines the method of using equations to describe geometric shapes and using algebraic formulas to solve geometric problems, thereby laying the groundwork for what is now known as analytic geometry. This treatise fundamentally changed the course of mathematics by providing a systematic framework that allowed for the graphical representation of algebraic equations, and vice versa, thus enabling the precise analysis of geometric spaces using algebra.