Chapters I-III Summary

Thérèse Raquin is a nineteenth century story of the illicit love between Thérèse and her husband's friend, Laurent. The lovers are driven to murder the husband, but when they get away with it, and eventually marry, their lives become a horror story.

Chapter One introduces the characters Thérèse, Camille, and Madame Raquin and their shop and apartments. The neglected haberdashery shop sits in a dangerous, damp alley, selling things like needles, ribbons, and fabrics. In the evenings, a young woman sits as if a fixed part of the shop. An old woman dozes at the counter next to her. A young man is with the ladies, reading or talking. At the end of the day, the three retire to their sparse apartments above the shop. The old woman bids her son and daughter-in-law goodnight. The...