In 1588, Michel de Montaigne meets a young admirer of his work, Marie de Gournay. At the age of fifty-five and 'well married', Montaigne begins a mysterious relationship with the idolised Marie, whom he makes his 'adopted daughter'. In order to understand this mystery, Jorge Edwards, narrator and guide to the story, reconstructs this surprising, perhaps twilight passion and everything that surrounds Montaigne's private and public persona. As he combs his origins, youth and adulthood, exploring his relationship with women and his conception of eroticism, he gradually portrays the political man, the antidogmatic, sensible thinker but, above all, the wise and at times mischievous author of 'Essays'. And as he applies the lesson of Montaigne's life to the narrator's own situation, he illuminates the most relavant, curious, often sensual and, above all, modern aspects of his character.