Julien has almost achieved his goal. He will soon marry the much-desired Mathilde de La Mole, who is pregnant with his child.

Fleeing the seminary and its intrigues, Julien goes to Paris to enter the service of the Marquis de La Mole as a private secretary. Despising the aristocracy for its hypocrisy and the humiliations it inflicts, he finds himself falling under the spell of Mathilde, the Marquis's daughter.

Julien sets out to seduce Madame de Rênal. He succeeds despite all the dangers, but a series of events will test their affair: the health of young Stanislas, threats from Élisa, anonymous letters... Louise de Rênal is ready to do anything to protect their secret

In the small town of Verrières, Julien Sorel, a poor carpenter's son and brilliant Latin scholar, becomes a tutor for the children of the mayor, Monsieur de Rênal. Torn between his dreams of grandeur and his social standing, he attracts the attention of Louise de Rênal, his employer's wife.