In Paris in 1716, Addie waits outside a tailor’s shop, wearing a salvaged bonnet and a simple stolen dress to pass as a lady’s maid. She enters just before closing and claims to be sent by “Madame Lautrec,” improvising a lie about measurements to keep Monsieur Bertin’s attention.

When Bertin goes to fetch his tape, Addie slips into a hiding place among the fabrics. As soon as Bertin returns, the curse takes hold and he forgets her. Addie waits until he shuts the shop and goes upstairs for the night, then moves freely into the back room where the newest garments and dress forms stand in the fading light.

Addie lingers over the textures and styles, noting how unchanged her own face remains despite the hard years. Curious about how much easier men move through the world, she strips clothes from a male dress form and tries them on, but her body and face refuse to pass; even cutting her hair fails, as the change will not hold.

After trying on gowns, Addie chooses a dark sapphire silk dress trimmed in gray and leaves her old dress behind. She quietly lets herself out using Bertin’s spare key and returns it under the door, but collides outside with the shadowy god who cursed her, dressed in black, who greets her by name and offers to walk with her.

As they walk through the night, Addie refuses his arm but accepts his presence for safety and company. When he pressures her to yield and end her struggle, Addie counters with a list of wonders she has already seen—elephants, music, champagne, sunsets—and insists that time means more experiences and defiance. The shadow turns cruel, promising it will only get harder until she begs for release, then vanishes, leaving Addie to steady herself and slip into a ruined building to sleep.