Cousin Pons is a music teacher whose only joy in his long life has been collecting art. His collection, now worth a small fortune, is the focus of greed and rivalry among the various family members and hangers-on, and Pons`s attempts to outwit them fail dismally. Upon his death, and against his wishes, his fortune goes to those he had tried desperately to thwart. The novel`s plot vividly illustrates Balzac`s belief that people who are raised in a grasping and materialistic society are incapable of any other kind of behavior--but this bleak view is mitigated somewhat by Balzac`s depiction of Pons himself as a sweet, moral, and generous character.