The story takes place in the era of the Regency (1715-1723), when the mores of French society were characterized by extreme liberties. With the cheerful and frivolous regent Philippe of Orleans in France, a reaction immediately began to the "lean" spirit that reigned under the aged king. French society breathed more freely and gave free rein to the thirst for life, fun, pleasure. In his work, Abbot Prevost interprets the theme of fatal, all-consuming love.
By the will of the writer, the story is conducted on behalf of the gentleman de Grieux. At seventeen, the young man completes a course in philosophy in Amiens. Due to its origin (parents belong to one of P.'s most notable surnames), his brilliant abilities and attractive appearance, he attracts people and acquires a true loyal friend in the seminary - Tiberge, who is several years older than our hero. Coming from a poor family, Tiberg is forced to take the dignity and remain in Amiens to study the theological sciences. De Grieux, having passed the exams with honors, was going to return to his father to continue his studies at the Academy. But fate decreed otherwise. On the eve of parting with the city and parting with a friend, the young man meets a beautiful stranger on the street and starts a conversation with her. It turns out that the girl’s parents decided to give her to the monastery to curb her penchant for pleasures, so she is looking for a way to regain her freedom and will be grateful to someone who will help her in this. De Grieux is defeated by the charm of a stranger and readily offers his services. After some deliberation, young people find no other way but escape. The plan is simple: they will have to deceive the vigilance of the guide, assigned to observe Manon Lescaut (the stranger’s name), and head straight to Paris, where, at the request of both lovers, the wedding will take place immediately. Tiberge, initiated into the secret of a friend, does not approve of his intentions and tries to stop de Grieux, but it's too late: the young man is in love and ready for the most decisive action. Early in the morning, he passes the carriage to the hotel where Manon was staying, and the fugitives leave the city. The desire to get married was forgotten in Saint-Denis, where the lovers violated the laws of the church and became spouses, without hesitation.
In Paris, our heroes rent furnished rooms, de Grieux, full of passion, and forgot to think about how sad his father was at his absence. But one day, returning home earlier than usual, de Grieux learns of Manon's betrayal. The well-known farmer, Mr. de B., who lived in the neighborhood, is probably not the first time to pay a visit to a girl in his absence. Shocked, the young man, having barely regained consciousness, hears a knock on the door, opens and falls into the arms of the lackeys of his father, who are ordered to deliver the prodigal son home. In the carriage, the poor fellow is at a loss: who betrayed him, how did his father know his place of residence? At home, his father tells him that Mr. de B., having made close acquaintance with Manon and finding out who her lover is, decides to get rid of his rival and in a letter to his father informs of the young man's dissolute lifestyle, making it clear that drastic measures are needed. Thus, Mr. B ... provides Father de Grieux with treacherous and selfless service. Cavalier de Grieux faints from what he heard, and when he wakes up, begs his father to let him go to Paris with his beloved, since it cannot be that Manon betrayed him and gave his heart to another. But for half a year the young man has to spend under the strict supervision of the servants, while the father, seeing his son in continuous longing, supplies him with books, which contribute a little to calm the rebellious soul. All the feelings of a lover come down to an alternation of hatred and love, hope and despair - depending on in what form the image of the beloved is drawn to him.Once Tiberge visits a friend, deftly flattens him with good disposition and inclines to the thought of abandoning worldly delights and accepting tonsure. Friends go to Paris, and de Grieux begins to study theology. He shows extraordinary zeal, and soon he is already congratulated on the future dignity. In Paris, our hero spent about a year, not trying to find out anything about Manon; it was difficult at first, but the constant support of Tiberge and his own thoughts contributed to the victory over himself. The last months of study were so calm that it seemed a little more - and this captivating and insidious creature will be forever forgotten. But after the exam at the Sorbonne “covered in glory and showered with congratulations,” de Grieux suddenly visits Manon. The girl was eighteen years old, she became even more dazzling in her beauty. She begs to forgive her and return her love, without which life is meaningless. Touching repentance and oaths of fidelity softened the heart of de Grieux, who immediately forgot about his life plans, about the desire for fame, wealth - in a word, about all the goods worthy of contempt, if they are not connected with the beloved.
Our hero follows Manon again, and now Chaillot, a village near Paris, is becoming the haven of lovers. In two years of contact with B ... Manon managed to draw about sixty thousand francs out of him, for which young people intend to live comfortably for several years. This is the only source of their existence, since the girl is not from a noble family and she has nowhere else to wait for money for, de Grieux does not hope for her father’s support, since he cannot forgive him the connection with Manon. The trouble comes suddenly: the house in Chaillot burned down, and during the fire the chest with money disappeared. Poverty is the least of the trials awaiting de Grieux. You cannot count on Manon in trouble: she loves luxury and pleasures too much to sacrifice them. Therefore, in order not to lose his beloved, he decides to hide from her the loss of money and borrow it for the first time from Tiberge. A loyal friend encourages and comforts our hero, insists on breaking up with Manon and without hesitation, although he himself is not rich, gives de Grieux the necessary amount of money.
Manon introduces his lover to his brother, who serves in the guard of the king, and Mr. Lescaut persuades de Grieux to try his luck at the gaming table, promising, for his part, to teach him all the necessary tricks and tricks. With all its aversion to deception, cruel necessity forces the young man to agree. Exceptional dexterity so quickly increased his condition that two months later a furnished house was rented in Paris and a carefree, luxuriant life began. Tiberge, who constantly visits his friend, is trying to reason with him and warn him of new misfortunes, as he is convinced that the dishonestly acquired wealth will soon disappear without a trace. Tiberge’s fears were not in vain. The servant, from whom the income was not hiding, took advantage of the gullibility of the owners and robbed them. Ruin leads lovers to despair, but de Grieux inspires Brother Manon's proposal even more. He talks about Mr. de G ... M., an old voluptuary who pays for his pleasures without sparing money, and Lesko advises his sister to go to him for maintenance. But the cunning Manon comes up with a more interesting enrichment option. The old red tape invites the girl to dinner, at which he promises to give her half of the annual maintenance. A charming lady asks if she can bring her little brother for dinner (referring to de Grieux), and, having received consent, rejoices. As soon as at the end of the evening, having already transferred the money, the old man started talking about his love of impatience, the girl with the “brother” was blown away by the wind. Mr. de G ... M ... realized that he had been fooled, and secured the arrest of both fraudsters. De Grieux found himself in the prison of Saint-Lazare, where he suffers terribly from humiliation; the young man has been unable for a week to think of anything but his dishonor and shame, which he brought to the whole family.The absence of Manon, the anxiety about her fate, the fear of never seeing her again were subsequently the main subject of the prisoner's sad thoughts. When de Grieux finds out that his beloved is in the Shelter (the place of detention of public women), he becomes furious and decides to escape from jail. With the assistance of Mr. Lesko, our hero is free and begins to look for ways to free his beloved. Pretending to be a foreigner, he inquires from the gatekeeper of the Shelter about the local practices, and also asks to describe the authorities. Upon learning that the boss has an adult son, de Grieux meets with him and, hoping for his support, tells directly the whole story of his relationship with Manon. Mr. de T ... was moved by the frankness and sincerity of the stranger, but the only thing he could do for him so far was to give pleasure to see the girl; everything else is not in his power. The joy of a meeting between lovers who experienced a three-month separation, their infinite tenderness for each other touched the minister of the Shelter, and he wanted to help the unfortunate. After consulting with de T. about the details of the escape, de Grieux releases Manon the very next day, and the shelter guard remains in his servants.
On the same night, Brother Manon dies. He robbed one of his friends at the card table, and he asked me to lend him half the amount lost. The quarrel arising on this occasion turned into a fierce quarrel and subsequently into murder. Young arrive in Chaillot. De Grieux is preoccupied with finding a way out of lack of money, and before Manon he pretends that he is not constrained by means. The young man arrives in Paris and once again asks for money from Tiberge, And, of course, receives it. From a devoted friend, de Grieux went to Mr. T., who was very happy with the guest and told him the continuation of the story of the abduction of Manon. Everyone was amazed to learn that such a beautiful woman decided to run away with a shelter minister. But what can’t you do for the sake of freedom! So de Grieux is beyond suspicion and he has nothing to fear. Mr. de T., having learned the place of stay of lovers, often visits them, and friendship with him grows stronger day by day.
One day a young G.M., the son of the worst enemy, that old libertine who imprisoned our heroes in prison, arrives in Chaillot. Mr. de T. assured de Grieux, who had already grabbed his sword, that he was a very sweet, noble young man. But later de Grieux is convinced of the opposite. G. M. Jr. falls in love with Manon and offers her to abandon her lover and live with him in luxury and contentment. The son surpasses the generosity of his father, and, unable to withstand the temptation, Manon surrenders and moves to live to
For three months the young man was bedridden with a serious illness, his aversion to life did not wane, he constantly called for death. But still, healing has come. Tiberge appears in New Orleans. A faithful friend takes de Grieux to France, where he learns about the death of his father. The expected meeting with his brother completes the story.
