In Restoration-era France, the ambitious Julien Sorel rises through society thanks to his intelligence, charm, and determination. Torn between Madame de Rênal and Mathilde de La Mole, he becomes entangled in passionate affairs, political intrigue, and religious conflict that ultimately shape his tragic fate. Inspired by Stendhal's classic novel, Pierre Lacotte transforms Le Rouge et le Noir into a grand three-act ballet set to an anthology of music by Jules Massenet.