Before dying of a hunting accident, Fromont father, owner of a Parisian wallpaper factory, confided to his nephew Georges his last wishes: that he marry his daughter Claire and that he team up with a faithful designer. , Guillaume Risler, to take over the factory: it will henceforth be “Fromont young and Risler elder”. All would be well if Guillaume's youngest, Frantz, did not fall in love with Sidonie Chèbe, who loves and is loved by the newlywed, while Désirée, a young cripple, loves Frantz. When he learns of the marriage, Frantz leaves for French Sudan to Desiree's despair. Sidonie's piano teacher, Anna, schemes to marry Guillaume, then to become Georges's mistress.