Guy de Maupassant achieved instant fame with Boule de Suif, his first published story, set during the Franco-Prussian war. Considered his greatest novella, Boule de Suif is about a group of travellers who are fleeing occupied Rouen by coach to Dieppe. Forced to accept the courtesan in their midst, their baser instincts are brought to the surface when they are faced with a terrifying dilemma.