Eve and David

"Eve and David" by Honoré de Balzac is a story of dreams and difficulties set in the 1800s, within the broader world of "Lost Illusions". It tells about David Sechard and his wife Eve as they try to make a living in the printing business while dealing with problems caused by David’s ambitious brother-in-law, Lucien, who is chasing fame in Paris. David is trying to invent a way to make cheap paper so Eve and Lucien can have a better life, but this pulls them into economic and social problems. We meet David as he is hoping to make a fortune for his wife and brother-in-law, and after he marries Eve, he struggles with money problems while desperately trying to invent affordable paper. Eve steps up and learns about the printing business to help support them. The couple’s hopefulness is tested by other printers and their family's failures. When Eve realizes their money problems are serious, the tension grows even more when Lucien returns from Paris with bad news, creating a story full of ambition, sacrifice, betrayal, and challenges in their marriage.