In the summer of 1789, Paris hums with a tense energy. Beneath the towering Gothic spires of Notre-Dame, ordinary citizens go about their daily routines, bartering for fresh produce and cheese in crowded open-air markets. Yet beneath this bustling surface of daily commerce, the city stands on the precipice of monumental change. Decades of intellectual ferment during the Enlightenment have primed the populace, and the crowded working-class neighborhoods are ripe for revolt. Soon, the quiet rhythms of these cobblestone streets will give way to the revolutionary fervor that will forever reshape France and the world.