Lamiel is an unfinished novel about a spirited young woman from rural Normandy, raised by an aunt and uncle and curious about the world. She is intelligent, bold and unconcerned with conventional morals, and she sets out to learn about love and life by her own methods. Her path takes her from village life to Paris, through encounters with a priest, a duke's household and a criminal figure. Stendhal treats her with irony and sympathy. The fragmentary book is notable for its heroine's independence and its sharp, comic view of society.