At twenty-five, Renée Martin stands on a train platform, waiting to welcome a man with a most extraordinary name — Leopold Rheinarke, the emperor’s grandson and the duke’s son.
The love that began in the summer does not fade with the passing of the seasons. Yet when Leopold’s love crosses the line, Renée, frightened by its intensity, pushes him away.
However, through the duke’s schemes, Leopold comes to misunderstand her and coldly declares their breakup.
Consumed by guilt and self-destruction, Leopold resolves to find her again — at the border between life and death.
On a snowy winter’s day, he deserts the military academy without permission and goes to her home, but…
Persephone in the Afternoon — a tale of a monster, a butterfly, and death.
