Summary

The Sybille of Cleves is the sixth painting Stéphane and Anne-Catherine have stolen in six months. However, as they keep stealing, Stéphane increasingly feels as if the pieces lose some dignity, some of their majesty, when they are unframed. One day, walking through Mulhouse, he sees an artisan framer's shop that he has not noticed before. He steps inside and meets Christian Meichler. Upon hearing Stéphane's last name, Christian shows him a few pieces by Robert Breitwieser (the famous relative who painted Stéphane's portrait as a child). Despite generally disliking people, and not being easy to get along with, Christian and Stéphane swiftly become friends, united by their old souls and passion for art. Outside of his mother, Anne-Catherine, and grandparents, Christian is one of the few people who begins to know Stéphane personally.

Christian feels as...