Clarisse was the adopted daughter of an older and otherwise childless couple. Her real mother, whom she has never met, arranged for her fosterage and tutelage in a variety of subjects, including, surprisingly, swordsmanship, archery, and shooting.
Clarisse's sole leisure activity was her music, which her foster parents enjoyed, but which they worried would distract her from her studies. She had no peers or friends her own age, in part because they would be a distraction from her work.
Clarisse has a talent for dreaming true that was also nurtured by her tutors.
When she was about sixteen, Clarisse dreamed of a meeting between her mother and her foster-parents in which they discussed Clarisse's future. Clarisse didn't understand the dream--it was very unclear--but that she would soon be removed and put to whatever task she had been trained for. Clarisse thinks she was to be married, but isn't sure to whom.
Clarisse ran away from home before she could be collected. She fled to the city of Arbonne and took up singing and other odd jobs, such as modeling for the artists of the Left Bank, to make her way. She has avoided fame and fortune despite offers to take up starring roles in the cabarets and dance halls of the city.