In his final novel, Tolstoy touched on timeless moral questions: justice, virtue, the meaning of life, and happiness. Prince Nekhlyudov, a juror at a trial, recognizes in the defendant Maslova — Katya, a maid whom he seduced and abandoned — and decides to atone for his guilt before her.
Righteous thoughts swirl in the prince's mind: to tell his fiancée what a scoundrel he is, to beg Katya's forgiveness, to confess to everyone his true nature...