He is kind to me and cruel alike. He is my lover and equally my murderer, thought Claire. It was the attractive Tristan, the talented painter and the brilliant forger, who made her life difficult. His whole love belonged to painting and the rather wild, extrava-gant nightlife of the Parisian upper classla vie Parisienne. Tristan enjoyed this life to the fullestthe wine, the smoking, the cabarets, the parties, and the women. He was an egoist, a man, who was only looking for fun and games, unable and unwilling to deal with problems and take responsibility in his life. Confronted with difficulties, the cowardly, insecure nature in Tristan took the upper hand, and thus, control over events slipped out of his hand. Will he find his way onto the high pedestal of fame or sink into the sea of the gifted but unrecognized painters?