Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman star in this sumptuous Paris-set period drama based on the novella by Guy de Maupassant. Georges Duroy (Pattinson) is a suave and handsome young journalist using his wits and powers of manipulation to make his way in 1890s Paris. In order to ascend the social ladder, Duroy seduces a string of influential society beauties including Madeleine Forestier (Thurman), Virginie Walters (Kristen Scott Thomas) and Clotilde de Marelle (Christina Ricci). His peasant background has soon become a distant memory as he achieves dizzying success both in his career and in fashionable society.