Quiet, kind Josephine spent her entire life studying the medieval history of France and, one might say, lived in the 12th century. But she had to return to reality when her husband and his mistress went to Africa to breed crocodiles, and she, with his debts and two daughters, was left penniless in cold, cynical Paris. Here she is also surrounded by crocodiles, ready to pounce at any moment. How can she survive, alone and weak, among ruthless predators? The most popular French writer Catherine Pancol (b. 1954) is the author of a dozen best-selling novels, translated into all the leading languages of the world. There are no murders or science fiction in her books, but the most ordinary life, full of laughter and tears, love and betrayal, turns out to be much more fascinating than any horror stories and fables.