Marcel, pathologically possessive, continues to keep Albertine a virtual captive in his Paris apartment, while the Baron de Charlus, obsessed with the young violinist Charles Morel, receives an unexpected shock. A deeply perceptive study of love and jealousy.

Marcel, accompanied by the pedantic Brichot, attends a musical evening at the Verdurins. Marcel has decided to keep his visit secret from Albertine, because a previously unpublished work by Vinteuil is to be played, and he has heard that the composer's daughter Mile Vinteuil and her friend are to be present. Marcel knows them to be a lesbian couple, and the revelation by Albertine of her long-standing friendship with them has confirmed his suspicions regarding Albertine's sexual proclivities. He is determined to keep Albertine from having any contact with the two women.