Mathilde meets her old school friend Katrine in Paris. They are so different now though for Katrine has married well and is wealthy and Mathilde has married a lowly clerk named Pierre Loisel. She loves him dearly but feels that she was born for a better life of fine things. One evening she is feeling sorry for herself when her husband comes home with an invite for them to a ball to be given by the Minister of Education. He also agrees to save hard so that she may have 400 francs to buy herself a dress. She looks beautiful but has no jewels so turns to her wealthy friend Katrine who lends her a beautiful diamond necklace. Looking like a million dollars Mathilde goes to the ball and has the best day of her life. However her life is to change from bad to worse as she realises she has lost the necklace and it will cost them 36,000 francs to replace it.

Chosen as her favorite story by MGM actress Greer Garson.

Written by: Guy de Maupassant