Acclaimed 19th-century French novelist Honore de Balzac is widely regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature. In Cousin Bette, Lisbeth Fischer feels she's been wronged -- though much of what she perceives may only reside in her imagination. Seeking vengeance against the family of her beautiful cousin, Adeline, she leverages the uncontrollable sexual appetites of her cousin's husband as the linchpin of her plans.
