A new pupil, Augustin Meaulnes, arrives at a rural school, and his bravado and charisma make an immediate impact on all those around him, including the 15-year-old François Seurel. The newcomer suddenly disappears for several days, during which time he stumbles across a mysterious manor house, which is home to a beautiful girl, Yvonne de Galais. After returning, ‘Le Grand Meaulnes’ embarks on a search to find again the lost manor and the happiness he found there. His tortuous journey, observed by his devoted friend François, is a moving depiction of the pain of adolescent love and desperate friendship.
Lauded for its powerful portrayal of adolescence, Le Grand Meaulnes found an immediate place in the canon of European literature from its first appearance in 1913. Alain-Fournier died in the year following its publication and it remains his only novel.