Balzac's character Chabert--thought killed in the Napoleonic wars-- returns to find his wife remarried, his pension gone, and everything changed. Chabert employs a young lawyer named Derville to negotiate recompense, but, unknown to Chabert, Derville also represents Chabert's former wife. As Derville plays the game of law and intrigue, we see why Balzac himself saw post-Revolutionary politics as plagued with corruption.
