Pages 5 - 148 Summary

The action of Honoré de Balzac's novel follows the nineteenth-century Parisian lives of Bette Fischer, her cousin Adeline Hulot and Adeline's husband Baron Hector Hulot. Cousin Bette is the story of a woman with a jealous heart and a devious mind. A poor relation of the Adeline (Fischer) Hulot family, Bette is consumed with a wish to see Adeline brought down from her pedestal of perfection. Her desire for the ruination of the entire Hulot clan causes Bette to form advantageous associations with people from several social strata. Mademoiselle Fischer manages to keep company with those who believe in using money and power for revenge. She fails to realize, though, that certain individuals are far more dangerous to one's health than others. Bette's plan to destroy her cousin Adeline relies significantly on Bette's friendship with the poisonous Madame Marneffe and Marneffe's...