Emperor's Body

<p>Philippe de Rohan-Chabot an aristocratic young diplomat is charged with bringing the body from the island prison where Napoleon died to a glorious tomb at Les Invalides in Paris. Chabot's rival is the aging diplomat and author Henri Beyle known to posterity as Stendhal. The enigmatic and impulsive Amelia Curial must free herself from the shadow of her mother's scandalous loves and untimely death and from the life of stale convention that her family urges upon her. The dead emperor is a token in a political game to appease the enemies of the monarchy but that gamble imperils the king's rule and a new revolution looms. Meanwhile the interplay of the three central characters traces a delicate pattern of romance longing misunderstanding and the obstacles to the pursuit of happiness.</p>