The Headsman Or, The Abbaye des Vignerons Part 2

Although Adelheid remains devoted to Sigismund, she must confront the powerful social prejudices attached to his family while the festivities of the Abbaye des Vignerons expose the rigid divisions of rank, occupation, and respectability beneath their colorful pageantry. The same injustice strikes Sigismund's sister Christine when the revelation that she is the headsman's daughter destroys her intended marriage, demonstrating how an inherited stigma controls the lives of an entire innocent family. After the festival, the travelers leave the Lake Geneva region and begin their journey toward the Great St. Bernard, while the enigmatic Maso and his possible connection with Grimaldi become increasingly important.