This devastates Emma. She goes into shock and her health declines rapidly. Charles doesn’t know what to do; mostly, he just prescribes odd and useless medications. The Bovary family’s finances get even worse, and Charles is forced to take out additional loans. Emma slowly starts to recover. As a treat, Monsieur Homais suggests that Charles take the little lady to the opera in Rouen, the nearest city. It turns out to be a fateful trip.