Elodie is an attractive thirty-something lawyer who loves her husband, her son and the city she lives in, Paris. Her friends, like her, are successful, fun-loving and wealthy. One day in Court, however, her eyes meet the piercing gaze of a man and she finds herself unable to look away. The man begins to exercise an irresistible and diabolic spell over her, both pleasurable and excruciating. Under his spell, Elodie discovers the erotic hunger of the flesh and the commanding power of worlds as she enters into a tormenting, obsessive relationship. Thoughts of him invade her life, what he does to her, but even more, what he makes her do... She is mesmerised by his skin, his voice, his commands. Words chosen for her, words that burn like the crack of a whip. But how does he see her? As a lover, or a well-trained circus animal, gifted with a human female anatomy. In describing the sweet pain of his mastery over her, perhaps he will at last understand.

You'll want to scream, but you'll be gagged.
You'll want to cry, but you'll be blindfolded.
You'll want to run away, but you'll be tied up.
You'll have no way of begging me, I'll do what I want with you.
Sexual obsession, domination and extreme lust - Submission is the story of a young married Parisian lawyer who is drawn into a sado-masochistic relationship. A handsome stranger she meets in the courts issues her with a series of instructions which she finds herself compelled to follow. As the violence of their encounters escalates, it becomes a dangerous addiction that she can't break. But how far can she go and how much of her life will she risk in the process?
Based on the author's own experiences, this astonishing book sent shockwaves through the French establishment.

Marthe Blau is a high-profile thirty-something lawyer who lives in Paris with her husband and baby. She wrote this novel under a pseudonym.