A Little Chaos

As part of plans to move his royal court from the old Louvre to a grand new palace at Versailles, Sun king Louis XIV commissioned reputed symmetrical landscape architect Andre Le Notre to design and execute the gardens and other outdoor features. At his auditions for architect 'subcontractors, one outsider intrigues him, proposing original ideas against his principles of mathematical order. This Sabine de Barra intrigues him, enough to grant her the theatrical amphitheater 'ballroom', and jumps at her far less costly water re-use plans. They strike a friendship, compensating for his cold careerist courtier wife Francoise's arrogance, while the king's brother due Philip of Orleans shows a romantic interest in provincial Sabine, who is gradually introduced at court, where she bonds with the declining royal mistress de Montespan. Chance matches the mourning king with the outspoken Sabine. Jealousy proves dangerous, with Andre ending up as her lover, dealing with her widowing trauma while completing the royal commission.