The Immoralist

"The Immoralist" recounts the hero's reversal of moral conscience following an illness and a return to health that turns his physiology upside down. One character recounts the lengthy confession Michel, «the immoralist», made in front of a few friends. A scholar with little interest in the flesh, he had once married a devoted woman, Marceline, without any real love, but who had stronger feelings for him. During their honeymoon in North Africa, he falls seriously ill and fights against death in Biskra, Algeria. Contemplating the healthy young boys gives him back his zest for life, and he puts all his willpower into his recovery. The convalescent is soon a new man, attentive to his body and to the sensual world around him.