The story of a priest named Romuald who falls in love with Clarimonde, a beautiful woman who turns out to be a vampire. The story opens with the elderly Romuald recounting a strange adventure during his youth. The day of his ordination many years ago, he saw a beautiful young woman in the church. He heard her voice promising to love him and to make him happier than he would be in Paradise, if he would just leave the church.