Russian classics

Corrupt officials in a provincial Russian town mistake a young clerk for the government inspector they fear.

A Russian army officer pursues adventure and romance in the Caucasus, finding little that holds his interest.

A stranger's scheme to buy dead serfs still listed as living exposes the workings of provincial Russian life.

A landowner's attachment to idle comfort brings estate management and everyday decisions into conflict with life on his sofa.

A young woman near Moscow seeks a purpose beyond what the men around her seem able to offer.

Two young men's challenge to their elders brings arguments over established beliefs into a Russian country estate.

A former student's murder and troubled conscience bring questions of moral responsibility into the streets of St. Petersburg.

Prince Myshkin's honesty and kindness meet a Russian society preoccupied with rank, appearances and scandal.

Russian noble families seek love and purpose while Napoleon's wars unsettle their lives and reshape their hopes.

A married woman's affair puts love, family life and social standing into conflict within Russian high society.

A father's murder brings questions of guilt into a family already divided by money, love and resentment.

A merchant's business journey with his poorly paid worker becomes a struggle after a blizzard hides the roads.

A retired professor's arrival unsettles a Russian estate where Vanya and Sonya have spent years supporting him.

Residents of a Russian cellar lodging house argue over daily troubles, hope and what gives life value.

A widow's fear for her politically active son draws family life into the unrest of a Russian factory settlement.

Two brothers from a poor Russian village follow different paths in search of wealth and a sense of purpose.

An affair between married holidaymakers introduces a collection concerned with ordinary people's love, grief and loneliness.

An officer's obsession with a gambling secret joins tales of love and revenge unsettling Russian lives.

Small officials in St Petersburg face loss, ambition and strange events that unsettle their daily routines.

Clerks, priests, teachers and peasants face uncertain choices across Russian villages, provincial towns and country estates.