Business Is Business

Summary

In the sun-drenched, deceptive tranquility of Southern France, Isidore Lechat, a titan of industry whose soul has been entirely subsumed by the cold logic of the ledger, presides over a palatial estate that serves more as a monument to his ego than a family home. Having clawed his way into the upper echelons of the nouveau riche, Lechat views the world through a lens of pure transactionalism, treating his domestic sphere with the same ruthless pragmatism he applies to his financial conquests. His wife, a woman whose perceived lack of refinement he deems a stain on his social ascent, is relegated to the shadows of the castle, a prisoner of her husband's vanity. Amidst this oppressive atmosphere of opulence, Lechat’s affections—if they can be called that—are reserved for his children, yet even these bonds are tainted by his obsessive need for control. The arrival of Celeste, an associate of his dissolute son Xavier, sparks a late-summer romance that Lechat interprets as a harbinger of a grand new epoch of personal and professional dominance. However, this hubristic delusion begins to fracture as the inherent volatility of human emotion and the moral decay of his household converge, leading to a series of calamitous reversals that challenge the very foundation of his 'business is everything' philosophy.

Synopsis

Newly wealthy Isidore Lechat lives in a castle in the south of France. He believes that business is the most important thing in life, but manages to stay attached to his children, although he believes that his wife's slovenly appearance detracts from his social position, so he doesn't let her go out in public. He begins an affair with Celeste, an acquaintance of his wastrel son Xavier. He believes that this may be the beginning of a new cycle of personal and business triumphs for him, but soon matters begin to take unexpected turns.