This chapter opens with a flashback to the beginning of the previous chapter, where we are introduced to Madame Bovary and her lover, the Marquis de Sade. In this flashback, we are also introduced to the Marquis's sister, Madame Moyun, who has just returned from a trip to China. We are told that the Marquis is in the vicinity of a fortuneteller, who is supposed to tell us about the fortunes of the rich and famous. The narrator tells us that Madame Mo-yun is in danger because she has fallen in love with a rich man.