AllMovie

Love and desperation amongst the impoverished provides the basis of this romantic Russian melodrama that is based on a novel by Dostoyevsky and is set in St. Petersburg during the 19th century. The tale centers on the attempts of aspiring writer Ivan "Vanya" Petrovich to win the love of the glorious Natasha who unfortunately, loves Alessia, the son of a fallen prince whose family has lost its fortunes. Vanya and Natasha are similarly impoverished. Knowing that the lure of being married to nobility, even poor nobility, puts Vanya out of the competition for her love, he resorts to character assassination as a means of swaying her. Alessia's father also is against a union with Natasha for she will do nothing to refill the empty family coffers. Finding dirt on Alessia isn't difficult, for he is a cad and refused to marry another woman whom he impregnated. Vanya learns this after meeting Nelly, the chronically ill spawn of the illicit union. Great drama ensues when the different parties involved collide.