In this story, Guy de Maupassant takes us to Corsica, to the town of Bonifacio. The widow Saverini’s son is killed and the killer immediately flees across the straits to Sardinia, where Corsican bandits traditionally sought refuge from the authorities and from those who sought revenge.

A Vendetta is a dark short story that shows a grieving old woman's determination to get revenge for her slain son. She wishes that there were either a cousin, father, or brother to carry on this vendetta, but since there’s no one, the mother pursues it. With her living in rage, she has no time to rest and only focuses on the idea of killing the murderer. She trains her dog, doing harsh starvation training to prepare for the day. After the deed is done, she can relax again.