La Chartreuse de Parme

Fabrice at seventeen is idealistic, rather naive, and speaks poor French.

However, he will not be stopped and leaves his home on Lake Como to travel north with false papers.

He wanders through France, losing money and horses rapidly.

He is imprisoned as a spy, but escapes, donning the uniform of a dead French hussar.

In his excitement to play the role of a French soldier, he wanders onto the field at the Battle of Waterloo.