The main events of the French Revolution and First Empire serve as a background canvas to a detailed biography of Empress Josephine, Napoleon I's first wife. Her initial tribulations, unexpected ascension culminating in her being crowned Empress, and the despondency of her final years are documented through her political and sentimental interactions with main figures of that historical period, including Robespierre, madame Tallien, Barras, Talleyrand, Fouché, etc., as well as the Bonaparte and Beauharnais families.