Plot Analysis Summary
Six comic and ironic episodes examine attraction, commerce, deception, and intimacy across different historical and futuristic settings.
Story Structure — 6 Plot Phases
Painted Desire
A prehistoric cavewoman cannot attract a visiting trader. A wall painter proposes facial makeup as a possible solution.
Key Events
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Trader Visits Cave — A visiting trader arrives, but the cavewoman fails to attract his attention.
Location: Prehistoric cave
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Failed Attraction — The cavewoman remains unable to interest the visiting trader.
Location: Prehistoric cave
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Painter Suggests Makeup — A wall painter proposes making up the cavewoman's face.
Location: Cave with wall paintings
The Imperial Disguise
In ancient Rome, an emperor leaves his wife under a false pretext and visits a brothel with a poet. The beautiful stranger he meets is unexpectedly revealed as the empress.
Key Events
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Ancient Court Excuse — An emperor invents an excuse to leave the empress.
Location: Ancient Rome
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Journey To Brothel — The emperor goes with a poet to a brothel.
Location: Ancient Rome
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Mysterious Woman Appears — The emperor encounters a mysterious and beautiful woman.
Location: Roman brothel
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Wife Revealed — The mysterious woman is revealed to be the emperor's wife.
Location: Roman brothel
The Vanished Inheritance
During the French Revolution, a visitor watches an aristocrat's execution from a window. He promises payment after an inheritance settlement but disappears.
Key Events
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Window Visit — A visitor asks to see a woman during the French Revolution.
Location: Parisian lodging
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Guillotine Witnessed — From the window, the visitor watches an old aristocrat being guillotined.
Location: Window overlooking Paris
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Inheritance Promise — The visitor promises payment after lawyers settle an inheritance.
Location: Parisian lodging
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Promised Payment Vanishes — The visitor disappears before fulfilling the promised payment.
Location: Parisian lodging
Love In The Wallet
A woman searches a sleeping client's wallet and discovers his connection to a major bank. She refuses his money, declares love, and eventually accepts marriage.
Key Events
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Lonely Man Encounter — A woman goes to bed with a lonely old man.
Location: Paris bedroom
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Wallet Investigation — After the man falls asleep, she looks through his wallet.
Location: Paris bedroom
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Bank Partnership Discovered — The wallet reveals that the old man is a partner in a major bank.
Location: Paris bedroom
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Love Over Money — She refuses money, declares love, and eventually lets him marry her.
Location: Paris bedroom
The Ambulance Solution
A woman without a driving licence works from a friend's car. After the vehicle is impounded, they buy an ambulance and continue their work.
Key Events
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Driving Licence Lost — A woman who has lost her driving licence works from a car driven by her friend.
Location: Modern Paris
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Car Impounded — The authorities impound the car, forcing the two women to find another vehicle.
Location: Modern Paris
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Ambulance Purchased — The women buy an ambulance and continue working from it.
Location: Modern Paris
Words Before Desire
At a spaceport hotel, a visitor rejects a woman unable to converse. He is introduced to another woman whose charm and reluctance create a new negotiation.
Key Events
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Spaceport Hotel Refusal — A visitor from a remote space outpost rejects a prostitute who cannot converse.
Location: Spaceport hotel
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Conversation And Persuasion — A more charming woman resists further intimacy until the visitor persuades her.
Location: Spaceport hotel
