The Marriage Plot

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness, substance use, suicidal ideation, and sexual content.

It is spring, and Madeleine and Leonard, newlyweds, are living at Madeleine’s parents’ home. They are sleeping in Madeleine’s childhood bedroom, which is decorated with wallpaper depicting illustrations from the children’s book Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. Madeleine has been accepted to Columbia, and they plan to move into an apartment in New York. Leonard, however, has recently been hospitalized, and Madeleine does not like to leave him alone, fearing that he may attempt suicide.

One day, Madeleine wakes to find that Leonard is not in bed beside her. He suffers from insomnia and sometimes retreats to a guest room during these times. A friend of hers from college is working for her father’s real-estate company and urges Madeleine to go into the city to see an apartment that is sure to be snatched up. Though Leonard initially refuses to take the trip, he suddenly changes his mind.

The narrative shifts back in time to present Leonard’s manic period from Madeleine’s point of view: Not only does the return of his libido signify to her that he is, at last, improving, but Leonard also becomes outgoing and gregarious, hosting parties and organizing gatherings—even rounding up coworkers from the lab for a spontaneous trip to a nearby casino. When Leonard proposes marriage, Madeleine decides to give Leonard an opportunity to get to know her parents before informing them of the news of their plans. Her mother has, since the October trip, called several times to warn Madeleine about how difficult a commitment to a partner with bipolar disorder could be, even sending a magazine article. Madeleine accused her mother of being judgmental and refused to travel to her parents’ home to celebrate Thanksgiving. However, she and Leonard spend three days over Christmas with them, and Madeleine is certain that the trip goes well. Leonard is trim, healthy, and personable. After the holiday, she informs her parents of their plans to marry. Neither is receptive, but a small ceremony is held nonetheless, and the couple leaves immediately after for a European honeymoon.

The honeymoon initially goes well: Madeleine is delighted to show Leonard—who has never been to Europe—around Paris. They enjoy restaurants, and Leonard’s mood is light and pleasant. Slowly, Madeleine notices that things are not right: He makes strange and extravagant purchases, he begins boasting about his superior language skills and gets easily angered whenever Madeleine tries to help him, he drinks excessively and insists on chatting with everyone at the bars, and he handles Madeleine roughly when they have sex. As they travel from city to city, Madeleine grows more concerned. She checks Leonard’s pill bottles, and it appears that he is taking his medication.

One night in Monaco, Leonard rounds up a group of other Europeans and rushes them off to a casino. Madeleine stays at the hotel, and as her worries about Leonard mount, she decides to call his doctor back in the US. The doctor insists that Leonard needs to go to a hospital for a psychological evaluation immediately.

Madeleine finds Leonard in the casino and stays by his side until he has no more money left to gamble with. She calmly asks him to come with her, and at first, he does, but then he suddenly darts off. Madeleine loses sight of him, and Leonard disappears. When he does not return to the hotel, Madeleine is able to use connections to contact the American ambassador to France, and a search is made. Madeleine’s mother arrives in Monaco 18 hours after the search begins, and, shortly after, Madeleine is notified that a man with no identification—found shirtless on the beach—has been admitted to a hospital for psychosis and minor injuries.

At the hospital, Leonard has been sedated with an anti-psychosis drug not available in the United States. When he wakes up, he is remorseful and apologetic. The story of his escapades comes out: After a night of gambling with Swiss bankers (whom Leonard convinced to loan him money after agreeing to split his winnings), Leonard was thrown out of a casino for card counting. He followed the bankers back to a hotel, where Leonard boasted that he could jump from one balcony to another. After hitting a railing and falling, he wandered to the water, removing his clothing. When he attempted to enter another hotel, the police were called. Leonard remains hospitalized and is discharged in May; the couple travels back to Paris by train to return to the US.

The narrative returns to the present moment: Madeleine and Leonard take the one-hour train ride from New Jersey into the city. On the taxi ride to the apartment, Leonard is anxious because of the heat, and Madeleine fears that he might have a panic attack. Kelly, Madeleine’s realtor friend, shows them the apartment, which Madeleine agrees is perfect. Leonard, however, pulls Madeleine aside and expresses concern that he would not be able to afford much of the rent. Madeleine convinces him, however, that they cannot live with her parents forever, and Leonard agrees to sign the lease.

While Kelly prepares the papers, Madeleine and Leonard have coffee in a nearby diner. Madeleine orders Leonard a slice of apple pie with cheese, and it reminds him of their first “date.” After signing the papers, Kelly reminds Madeleine that a friend from Brown, named Dan, is throwing a party nearby that evening. Eager to see old friends, Madeleine convinces Leonard to attend.

Dan’s apartment is hot but filled with people whom Madeleine remembers. Leonard immediately flees to a bedroom, and Madeleine lets him. She thinks about how tired she is of the constant responsibility of keeping him safe. She drinks bourbon and enjoys herself. When she is ready to leave, she heads to the bedroom to retrieve Leonard. She finds him talking with Mitchell, who returned from India just three days ago. He and Madeleine chat briefly; he congratulates her on her marriage and asks if she received his letter. Madeleine did not. She suggests that they might meet up sometime now that she will be living in New York.

As they descend in the elevator, Leonard has an outburst after Madeleine complains that he is unable to “ignore” his depression even for an hour or two to enjoy a party. Leonard insists that he will never be “cured” of his condition and wonders if they should end their marriage. When they arrive at the train station, he bursts ahead of Madeleine. When she catches up to him on the platform, he tells her that he is divorcing her before jumping into a train car alone.