Written in 1876, this short novel tells the love story of Paolo and Princess. He is a young musician who moves to Milan with many hopes and dreams, but with little money. She is the daughter of a railway worker and she works in a storehouse to help support her family. The two meet and start going out together. Melancholy Milan, with its streets and palaces that are poor, gray and cold, is the backdrop to this tale of the growing sentiment between the two young lovers.