In the spring of 1827, after a long and tumultuous journey, a ship enters the port of Marseille. On board is a Giraffe, the first one in the history of modern Europe. Immediately after its arrival, fashionable ladies and en vogue dandy's started to imitate the Giraffe's looks. France was entangled by the appearance of the exotic quadruped. On her way to the Jardin des Plantes the Giraffe stops at a charming Château which belongs to Zélise, the lonesome Marquise de Malibran. While guests arrive for a Soirée à la Girafe she waits in her boudoir and sings about far away places. An Oriental summer breeze encapsulates the castle and holds Zélise and her contemporaries in a grip. The onset of a game of seduction and sensuality, wrapped up in a romantic longing.