The story revolves around a couple who are searching for a necklace they lost. Loisel, a young man, decides to search for the necklace and replace the diamonds. They take the box holding the necklace and go to various jewellers, unsure of who sold it. They find a string of diamonds worth forty thousand francs in a shop at the Palais-Royal, which they agree to sell for thirty-six thousand. They beg the jeweller not to sell it for three days and arrange for it to be taken back for thirty-four thousand francs if the first one is found before February.
Loisel borrows the remaining francs from his father, getting a thousand from one man and five hundred from another. He enters into ruinous agreements with usurers and money-lenders, mortgaged the remaining years of his existence, and risked his signature without knowing if he could honor it. Appalled at the agonizing face of the future and the prospect of physical privation and moral torture, he borrows the new necklace and puts thirty-six thousand francs on the counter.
When Madame Loisel returns the necklace to Madame Forestier, she tells her that she should have brought it back sooner, as she might have needed it. However, she does not open the case, fearing that her friend would take her for a thief if she had noticed the substitution. The story highlights the dangers of trusting strangers and the importance of honesty and integrity in resolving financial issues.
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The Necklace Summary
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