On 9 January1836, murderer and thief Pierre Lacenaire is executed. He tells Allard his life narrative, penned while on death row. He begs Allard to care for Hermine, a lass he's guarded for over a decade. From the prison as Lacenaire writes, from Allard's study as he and Hermine read, and from other readers' memories after the book is published, we see Lacenaire's childhood as he stands up to bullies, including priests, his youthful thieving, his first murder, his brief army career, his seduction of a princess, and his affair with Avril, a young man who dies beside him.