The Earrings of Madame de…

In Belle Époque Paris, Louise is portrayed as an aristocratic woman married to André, a count and general. Their relationship appears companionable but distant, as they sleep in separate rooms and have no children, with André maintaining a mistress named Lola.

Louise, spoiled and superficial, has accumulated large debts due to her lavish lifestyle. She secretly sells a pair of valuable heart-shaped diamond earrings, originally gifted by André, disguising their loss at the opera to cover up her theft.

The earrings go missing and eventually reappear when André's acquaintance Rémy offers to buy them back. André, rather than confronting Louise, gives the earrings as a parting gift to his mistress Lola before her departure to Constantinople.

Lola, after arriving in Constantinople, sells the earrings at a casino roulette table. They are bought by Baron Fabrizio Donati, an Italian diplomat, setting the stage for romantic tension in Paris.

In Paris, Donati becomes infatuated with Louise, and they fall in love while dancing together at formal balls during André's absence on maneuvers. Their chemistry intensifies as they share moments of closeness.

Louise faintly reacts upon seeing Donati fall from his horse during a hunting trip, revealing her feelings. She then plans a holiday to the Italian lakes, hoping to distance herself from her emotions and the situation.

While Louise is away, Donati visits her with the Constantinople earrings, unaware they belonged to her. She writes him tender responses and becomes increasingly captivated by him, equating the earrings with her love for him.

Louise publicly 'finds' the earrings at a ball, drawing attention to her attachment to them. André then confronts Donati about their history, instructing him to sell the earrings back to Rémy, as a gesture of reconciliation and possession.

Following the confrontation, Louise falls into a profound depression. André, moved by her emotional state, decides to give her the earrings again, but she tearfully suggests they should go to her niece who has just given birth.

The earrings are sold by the niece's husband to pay debts, and Rémy attempts to sell them to André once more. Louise, determined to reclaim the earrings, sells her jewelry and furs to buy them back, showing her obsession and longing.

André challenges Donati to a pistol duel over the earrings. Unable to persuade Donati to withdraw, Louise prays at the church for Donati's safety, leaving the earrings as an offering amid concerns for his life.

At the duel, André fires the first shot. Louise, witnessing the event and fearing for Donati's life, slumps against a tree and is heard to be dying. Her maid rushes for help amidst the chaos, marking the climax of her tragic love story.

After Louise's death, the earrings are displayed at the church alongside a plaque acknowledging her donation. Their journey ends as symbols of love, sacrifice, and tragedy intertwined with her final act of devotion.