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Summer love with incestuous implications is the focus of this classic tale of adolescent romance set in late-czarist Russia. Alexander, a handsome young medical student, is spending the summer at the estate of his cousin Sonia Cherkasov. He and Sonia have always been attracted to each other, and he has designs upon pursuing it during the visit. Count Cheraksov is suspicious of Alexander and Sonia's friendship. To throw him off, Sonia invites her Polish friend Nathalie to also stay, and then instructs Alexander to pretend he is attracted to Nathalie. Unfortunately for Sonia, Alexander soon finds that his attraction is no pretense.