In 1863, the beautiful young daughter of the world-famous writer Victor Hugo crosses the Atlantic in desperate pursuit of a British lieutenant she believes is her fiancé, her lover, her destiny-despite the fact that he has rejected her. Based on Adèle Hugo's diary, written in code and deciphered in 1955, the film was described by director Truffaut as the autopsy of a passion. Truffaut additionally described the film as "a musical composition for one instrument": the exquisite nineteen-year-old Isabelle Adjani. Oscar-nominated Adjani is unforgettable as the unhinged woman whose burning desire becomes her raison d'être and dooms her to madness.