Set in 1900s Belle Époque Paris, ''Chéri '' tells the story of the affair between a wealthy, middle-aged retired courtesan, Léa, and the Camp (style) spoiled, neglected 19-year-old only son of another even wealthier courtesan, Fred, nicknamed "Chéri" ("Dear" or "Darling"). A famous beauty, Léa has been successful at extracting large sums of money from her up-scale clients, never falling in love with any of them.