On the wrong side of history -- "The son of my sorrow" -- Choosing the saber over the book -- Saint-Cyr: lessons in war -- The Dreyfus affair -- Love, retirement, and a new beginning -- The dogs of war -- "The German is the enemy" -- The battle of Verdun -- Hero of France and commander-in-chief -- Total war -- Pétain, architect of victory -- Nini, the wife next door -- Saving the Spanish in Morocco -- The Politics of peace -- The hollow years -- The unpopular front -- Ambassador to Spain -- Defeat -- The road to Vichy -- The royal "we" -- The Germans, Darlan, and the Jewish question -- The specter of communism -- The trap -- The collapse of the house of cards -- Occupied France -- Vichy: the final act -- Reluctant flight -- The Marshal of France defends his honor -- Prison for life.