The Exiles

Set in early fourteenth-century Paris on a sparsely settled island below Notre-Dame, the narrative follows the household of a stern constable and his wife as their riverside lodging receives lodgers and encounters petty domestic disputes, municipal duties, and the rhythms of clerical and urban life. Detailed description of the house, neighborhood, and daily routines frames scenes of gossip, jealousy, and municipal order, while the couple navigates social hierarchies, commerce tied to the cathedral, and the surrounding river landscape. The work emphasizes atmosphere and material detail to portray medieval urban life and interpersonal tensions within a small riverside community.