La Princesse de Clèves begins at the royal court of Henry II of France where Madame de Chartres has brought her sheltered, sixteen year old daughter who is looking for a husband with financial and social power. Madame de Chartres plans to find her daughter a wealthy nobleman at the very least but hopes her daughter can manage to attract the attention of a royal prince. All was going according to plan, and Mademoiselle de Chartres had captured the interest of a few suitors, until old jealousies between Madame de Chartres and a member of the court leads to obstacles against the young woman's suitors, and the best marriage prospects disappear. The young woman then has no choice and follows her mother's orders to accept the proposal of a middling
