Sacred and Profane Love: A Novel in Three Episodes Part 1

The first part follows Carlotta’s yearning for love and independence amid emotional turmoil and social constraint. Within her refined but repressive surroundings, she discovers passion and artistic sensitivity through her connection with the pianist Diaz. Their relationship awakens both purity and peril, drawing her into a web of longing and isolation. Bennett portrays this period as a study of conflicting desires—between moral ideals and earthly passion—and reveals how sacred and profane love intertwine in the fragile human heart.