Thin, frail, and plagued by epilepsy, Sébastien Valmont brings nothing but worry to his mother, while his father has long since lost interest in the weak boy. When the exalted Countess de Senange offers to take him under her wing and introduce him to the rules of aristocracy, the Valmont family breathes a sigh of relief. However, the seductive Countess teaches Sébastien not only court etiquette, social dancing, and the art of intrigue. She initiates him into the intimate arts of love, and soon the boy becomes more to her than just a protégé. In this prelude to "Dangerous Liaisons," the French classic by Choderlos de Laclos, Stéphane Betbeder weaves a sinister tale around the youth of the Vicomte de Valmont, who is to seduce the virginal bride Cécile in Laclos' epistolary novel. The plot remains coherent with the original work.