In the palace of Fontainebleau, a honeymooning couple examines Napoleon Bonaparte’s hat through the glass of its display case. Both the husband, Emil, and wife, Marie, hail from rural France, with Emil being a farmer and Marie being a farmer’s daughter. Marie remarks Napoleon was the greatest man in the world, and Emil agrees, noting he was Emperor of nearly the entire world. He muses that being Emperor must have been difficult and concedes he would not have liked it. Marie tells him she knows it would have been hard but that she believes he can do anything. She tells him it would have been harder for her if she were to be married to an Emperor, despising the feeling of being watched. The idea of tending to the tasks of a typical lady as well as overseeing the servants feels overwhelming for her. In any case, despite Emil’s apprehension of the role of Emperor, Marie tells him she loves him and thinks he can be anything he wants. 

The next morning, as they are leaving Paris, they return to the palace to see the hat. On the train back to their farm, Marie tells Emil she loves him again, but he balks, saying he thought she loved Napoleon. She admits she does, but in a way that sympathizes with his fall from power and the difficulty of governing an empire. She even utilizes this latter point against her husband, saying even he recognized the struggles of being Emperor. However, Emil tells her he was thinking not of Napoleon being Emperor, but of himself. He tells her it must have been easy for Napoleon because he was a brave general, and when Marie agrees with this, Emil realizes this is why she loves him. Marie tells Emil she loves him also and wants him to be great and for people to save his hat, but not to be Emperor. Nevertheless, Emil’s jealousy grows, and when they are lying in bed at night and reminiscing about the palace, he accuses Marie of thinking of the Emperor’s hat again. She denies it, saying she was simply thinking. They never broach the subject again until the birth of their son. Emil thinks he is a prize baby and Marie says they will display him under glass. The couple struggles to think of the names of great rulers, but each one leaves a sad echo. They often think of Napoleon’s hat, but finally choose to name their son John.