The novel tells the story of a woman without a heart, frigid and probably a lesbian. The hero, facing this fascinating and awesome being, takes another mistress, who can hardly satisfy him. He is devastated by this passionate love, violent, melancholic and cruel. This is a painful novel, written by an already sick writer, in which he says farewell to all women in his life, the ones who presented the desire, the torment, and the victims... Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893) was a popular French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents. Maupassant was a protégé of Flaubert and his stories are characterized by economy of style and efficient, effortless dénouements (outcomes).