Fyodor Ivanych Lavretsky, child of a distant, Anglophile father and a serf mother, is brought up at his family's country estate by a severe maiden aunt. He pursues an education in Moscow and meets a beautiful young woman, Varvara Pavlovna, at the opera. Following their wedding, they move to Paris, where Varvara begins an affair. Shocked by her behavior, Fyodor returns to his family estate. Fyodor falls in love with his cousin's daughter Liza, a serious and religious young woman. When Fyodor learns that Varvara has died, he declares his love to Liza. When Liza learns that Varvara has turned up in Fyodor's house seeking money, she joins a remote convent to live out the rest of her days as a nun.