The Count of Monte Cristo. A Novel. In 2 Volumes. Volume I

«The Count of Monte Cristo» — an adventure novel about a man whose life is shattered by someone else's calculation, and then is subjected to the idea of revenge. The story of a young Marseilles sailor begins in a world where career, love, and envy stand side by side, and a single letter can become a sentence. This is France after the Napoleonic era: a port, the ship «Pharaon», the anticipation of a wedding, the hope for a swift rise. Then the setting changes dramatically — from the cramped walls of the Château d'If to the brilliant and dangerous light of high society, where old scores do not disappear, but only become more valuable.

The young sailor returns to Marseilles from a successful voyage, gets a chance to become a captain, and prepares for his wedding to Mercedes. At this moment, a conspiracy forms against him: the envy, jealousy, and career fears of several people turn him into an accused without guilt. Behind the prison walls of the Château d'If, the hero goes through despair, heavy loneliness, and meets a man who changes the entire course of his life.

At the center of the plot — the journey from powerlessness and loss to strength, influence, and a carefully planned reckoning. Alexandre Dumas combines prison drama, adventure novel, social intrigue, and the historical backdrop of France in the first half of the 19th century. Here, not only secrets, escapes, and name changes are important, but also the question of where the line lies between justice and personal revenge.