Hugo's last novel, set in 1793 during the French Revolution, when the Republic faced a royalist uprising in Brittany. At its heart are three men: a harsh old nobleman who leads the royalists; his great-nephew, a young officer commanding the Republican troops; and a stern former priest, once the officer's tutor, sent by the revolutionary government to watch over him. Their clash raises questions of duty, mercy and the price of ideals. Hugo balances admiration for the Revolution's aims with horror at its violence. It is a grand, dramatic book about conscience in time of civil war.