《羊脂球》是莫泊桑短篇小说的代表作之一。故事讲述的是：普法战争时，法国的一群贵族、政客、商人、修女等高贵者，和一个叫作羊脂球的妓女，同乘一辆马车逃离普军占领区，在一关卡受阻。普鲁士军官要求同羊脂球过夜，遭到羊脂球拒绝，高贵者们也为这深表气愤和同情。但马车被扣留后，高贵者们竟施展各种伎俩迫使羊脂球就范，为大家解围。而羊脂球最终得到的却是高贵者们的蔑视。小说反衬鲜明，悬念迭生，引人入胜，写出了法国各阶层在占领者面前的不同态度，揭露了贵族资产阶级的自私、虚伪和无耻，同时也赞扬了羊脂球的牺牲精神。

During the stagecoach trip of a frightened group of inhabitants of Rouen, Elisabeth Rousset, known as "Boule de Suif", renders these people a signal service, but comes up against their stupidity and their sufficiency. A little later, Boule de Suif assassinates the formidable Prussian lieutenant whom his friends had nicknamed Fifi and who shamelessly displayed his taste for pillage and his sadistic tendencies.

En 1870, pendant l'occupation prusienne, les passagers d'une diligence sont sauvés par une fille de petite vertu qui ne rencontrera que leur mepris pour tout remerciement.