At the Sign of the Cat and Racket

An artist, Théodore de Sommervieux paints the shop, and later marries one of the draper’s daughters. But Augustine’s limited bourgeois outlook begins to bore her husband and she takes desperate measures to recapture his affection.
Her sister, Virginie, marries one of the draper’s assistants and together they manage the shop and a calm but lasting bond develops,based on their shared values.