SPOILERS!!!
The main plot in the novel is the one happening at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century.
In 1898 the Blanchard girl, Marie, is still single. Roland de Cygne's father pushes his son to meet her, and Roland thinks that he may marry her. Yet, his father dies and as he has to take care of the estate matters and go through a mourning period, he can't be bothered to pursue her. Marie is actually in love with Frank Hadley, her brother Marc's American friend, and there is another young man: James Fox. James is an Englishman, an acquaintance of her family, who is in love with her. In the end Marie accepts that her love for Frank is not possible as he is a Protestant and lives in America. So Marie marries James Fox and moves t England.
Thomas Gascon marries Edith, and they have a passel of children. Edith takes her aunt's place as housekeeper of Monsieur Ney, and the family live there. Yet, when Monsieur Ney, his daughter Hortense, sells the house, and the Gascon family find themselves homeless overnight. Thomas finds them a place near Montmartre, and he works as a transporter. Then Luc, who now has his own tavern after receiving money from Roland de Cynge, whose life he saved, calls his brother as he needs to move a carpet from his tavern to his home. Once in the apartment Luc goes to find something and Thomas thinks that he may use a strip of the carpet, and when he unrolls the carpet, he is shocked to find a dead woman. Luc says that the woman worked for him and it was an accident. James agree to help him hide her body in some tunnel that Luc found in his shed, and when they leave the body, Thomas discovers some marks on the woman's neck and mouth, which is clearly the result of suffocation, but he does not tell his brother.
That episode is a turning point in their relationship. They never talk about it, but Thomas knows that a rift opened between them. In 1914 the war breaks out, and Thomas's eldest son, Robert, is recruited, and shortly afterwards Luc decides to volunteer. He tells his brother that he can take his position in the tavern, and if he dies, the tavern will be his. Then in the recruitment office he finds Jacques Le Sour, the man he warned Roland about, but Le Sour does not recognise him, and they start talking.
The parts in the past are very interesting and give us a good view of French history. In 1604 two brothers, Robert de Cygne and Alain de Cygne are very close. Robert is the heir, and he is worried about his brother, who has no good perspectives. Then Robert arranges for Alain to go on an expedition to Canada, thinking that he will return a rich man. Yet, Alain never returns and makes his life there.
In 1637 Charles de Cygne, Robert's son, is a good adviser of King Louis XIII. The king does not have children. Charles is sent with a message for Queen Anne, who receives him in her boudoir, and just before he leaves, Charles spots a man in her bedroom, and he thinks that the man looks like Mazarin, the King's Prime Minister. Then months later Queen Anne gives birth to a son.
In 1665 Genevieve D'Artagnan is bored with her husband Perceval. There is a man, Hercule Le Sourd, who declaims in the streets, and Genevieve observes him. Then she sends for her driver to call him, and Genevieve takes him in her carriage and seduces him. After that, Genevieve gets pregnant and gives birth to a girl, Amelie. Genevieve tells her husband about her indiscretion, and Perceval forgives her and accespt the girl as his own.
In 1685 Amelie has fallen in love with Pierre Renard, and her parents tell her that she must forget about him because he is a Protesteant and just a working man. Then when Louis XIV passes a law, persecuting Protestants, Pierre flees. Then Amelie is sent to the court to serve as maid of honour to the Dauphaine. Amelie sees some things that shock her to the core, and her friend there tells her that this is normal and her parents know about how things are. One of the things she sees is the king having his way with a girl, and her friend tells her about the Dauphin making the previous maid of honour her mistress. When one day she sees the Dauphin smiling at her, she panics and starts to run, and the Dauphin runs after her. Then she sees an ugly man blocking her way, and she hides. The man is Roland the Cygne, whose face is disfigured after fighting in the wars. Roland misdirects the Dauphin, and when Amelie leaves her hideout, she thanks the man. Roland finds Amelie honest and enchanting, and then he asks her parents to marry her. When her mother tells Amelie, the girl says that she can't marry him as she doesn't love him. Then Genevieve tells her that she should be thankful to have that proposal, and she tells her about her real origins. Amelie is shocked, and then she goes to Roland and tells him the truth about her parentage. Roland says that he will have to think about it. The next thing Amelie knows the king summons her and orders she marry Roland or she will be sent to prison. Amelie marries Roland, and a year later she gives birth to a son.
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