` Justine` was the Marquis de Sade`s first novella, written in 1787, whilst imprisoned for two weeks in the Bastille. Although published anonymously, de Sade was eventually indicted for blasphemy & obscenity (without trial) for the authorship of ` Justine` at the behest of Napoleon Bonaparte. Who suffers in the pursuit of desire? The Countess de Lorsange reveals her history, in a tavern, to a young woman named Therese; where a young girl & her sister fight a battle of morality. Set in a period before the French Revolution, Justine shows the battle of virtue versus vice, where earning your keep takes on fresh connotations, & a titled lady holds a lifetime of illicit secrets.