"A masterpiece of promise." Jean Cocteau Raymond Radiguet wrote his most famous novel between the ages of16 and 18, following his own love affair with a married woman. Francois, the adolescent narrator, meets Marthe in Paris at the start of World War I. They fall in love with each other while her husband is away at the Front. Their passion leads to a tragic climaxfour years later when Marthe passes off their love child as her husband’s legitimate child, even though everyone knows the truth. The themes of freedom, family, and passion against a background of war and honor created a scandal at the time of publication.