Born on the island of Martinique, Josephine de Beauharnais found herself at the center of events that would forever change the world. After her first husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais, met the guillotine in 1794, the beautiful widow with two children embarked on an unlikely romantic relationship with one of history's most notorious men. Their love was legendary, their ambition flagrant and unashamed. Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife, Josephine, came to power during one of the most turbulent periods in the history of France. The story of the Corsican soldier's incredible rise has been well documented. Now, in this spellbinding, luminous account, Phineas Camp Headley draws back the curtain on the woman who beguiled him: her humble origins, her exorbitant appetites, and the tragic turn of events that led to her undoing.