Françoise Cloarec reveals the deepest secret in Colette’s family: the tragic fate of the writer’s half-sister, Juliette Robineau-Duclos, victimized by both a tyrannical father and an equally tyrannical husband. Where Colette embodied light, liberty and independence, and was powerful, beautiful and above all, beloved, the woman she called her 'long-haired sister' was the complete opposite. Juliette embodied darkness and submission, and was ugly and weak. Colette emancipated herself while Juliette remained in chains, through a lack of love and because she was deeply affected by the abuse she suffered at the hands of those closest to her.

This well-documented psychological investigation allows us to better understand Colette’s œuvre. But it also reveals how, in a family, there is never light.

A deep secret lies hidden behind Colette’s fame, like the negative of a photo. The woman who was her opposite, her shadow, her shame and suffering: her older sister, Juliette. That oppressed woman’s tragic fate sheds new light on some of Colette’s work.