In this short scene, the audience is introduced to Madame Bovary's maid, Blanche, who has just returned from a trip to China. The maid, who is dressed in finery, tells the audience that she has just arrived in the country, and that she is now an adult. She tells Blanche that she will not be allowed to return to her family until she has completed her apprenticeship as an apprentice to a chinaman. Blanche, however, is determined to stay and help her master.