Speaking one day to a group of sunbathing women who remind him of lovers past, this elderly roué proceeds to tell the story of his life-or at least to unburden himself of a lifetime's worth of stories. hus we learn of amatory conquests (and humiliations), of scandals both private and public, of military adventures and domestic feuds, of what things were like "in the days of the monarchy" and how they've changed since. As the book tumbles restlessly forward, and the comic tone takes on darker shadings, we realize we are listening to a man talking as much out of desperation as from exuberance.