LIberty of the Heart

In the chaotic streets of Paris during the French Revolution's outbreak in 1789, Élise Moreau, a grieving seamstress turned Girondin revolutionary messenger, literally collides with Julien Duret, a disillusioned former soldier from a noble military family who has abandoned his title to survive the uprising. Initially wary allies navigating the fall of the Bastille and the ensuing terror, their chance encounter sparks a forbidden attraction amid gunfire, secret salons, and political intrigue.

As the Revolution intensifies with bread riots, executions, and the Reign of Terror, Élise and Julien's bond deepens into passionate love, forcing them to confront divided loyalties: her fierce commitment to liberty and his haunted past of war and loss. Betrayed by allies and hunted by royalists and radicals alike, they flee Paris through perilous countryside journeys, facing starvation, moral dilemmas (including a necessary killing in self-defense), and the constant threat of the guillotine.

Assuming new identities as common villagers in the rural south, they rebuild their lives—tending vines, keeping bees, and forging a quiet existence away from the bloodshed. Through trials of trust, forgiveness, and shared scars, they marry in a simple ceremony and welcome a daughter, symbolizing hope amid ruins.

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