01A village in the Chuvash countryside
Narspi is the beautiful, strong-willed daughter of a well-off peasant, Miheter. Since childhood she has been drawn to Setner, a young man from a poor family who works on her father's land.
Narspi's father marries his daughter off not for love but for wealth — to the elderly, rich Tăhtaman. The wedding is arranged against the bride's will.
02A marriage of necessity
Narspi does not accept her place as the wife of an unloved, much older man. In Tăhtaman's house she remains an outsider, her thoughts still with Setner.
03The ending
The ending is tragic: the attempt to break free from an imposed fate ends in the deaths of the main characters. Ivanov offers no comfortable resolution.
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