She is famous throughout the world, but how many know her name? Just who is the girl that Edgar Degas immortalized with his sculpture, Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen? Drawing on a wealth of historical material as well as her own love of ballet, Camille Laurens presents a compelling portrait of Marie van Goethem and the world she inhabited. With little hope of becoming a professional dancer, Marie struggled to make a living in 19th-century Paris, and here her full story is told with great compassion.