Resurrection

On a spring morning in a Russian city, guards escort a group of prisoners through the streets toward a courthouse. One of them, Katerina Maslova, prepares to stand trial for murder. Once healthy and proud, she now looks worn down and unrecognizable. The crowd stares at her as she enters the courtroom, where 12 jurors wait to hear the case—including Prince Dmitri Ivanovich Nekhlyudov.

Nekhlyudov, a wealthy nobleman, does not expect to recognize the accused. When Maslova enters, he feels stunned. He once knew her well. Years earlier, she worked as a servant in his aunts’ home. During a summer visit, he fell in love with her. They exchanged books and glances, and one night, he attempted to seduce her. When she rejected his advances, Nekhlyudov pressed forward anyway and sexually assaulted her. Afterward, he returned to his military life. Maslova, left alone and pregnant, lost her job and gave birth to a child who died shortly after being placed in a foundling hospital. With no support and few options, she eventually turned to sex work to survive.

Now Maslova stands accused of poisoning a merchant who had hired her for sex work. The case rests on thin evidence. Witnesses contradict each other, and Maslova’s behavior raises doubts. The defense lawyer argues that the incident lacks motive, but the prosecutor paints Maslova as greedy and corrupt. Nekhlyudov, horrified by her condition and wracked with guilt, tries to influence the jury’s vote in her favor. The jurors agree that Maslova did not intend to kill, but when they write the verdict, they omit a key phrase—“without intent to cause death.” The judges read the wording and feel troubled but say nothing. Following legal protocol, they sentence her to four years of hard labor in Siberia.

Nekhlyudov leaves the courtroom shaken. He remembers how he once admired justice and wanted to live honestly, but his life has become selfish and meaningless. He decides to appeal the sentence and take responsibility for what he did to Maslova. He visits her in prison and tells her he intends to help. She responds with anger and bitterness, believing his guilt drives him, not love. When he offers to marry her, she refuses and mocks the idea. Still, he persists, determined to follow her case and stay by her side.

Nekhlyudov travels to his estates to prepare for a new life. He meets the peasants who rent land from him and offers to give them ownership at a fair rate. Some accept, but many remain confused or skeptical. His efforts, though sincere, seem rushed and difficult to implement. He sees how years of neglect and inequality have created deep divisions between landowners and laborers. At another estate, he discovers that Maslova gave birth to his child and that the child died soon afterward. This news fills him with shame.

Back in the city, Nekhlyudov works to overturn Maslova’s sentence. He hires lawyers, files petitions, and visits government officials. In the process, he witnesses how the Russian justice system operates. Senators and bureaucrats speak in polite, legalistic tones while showing no interest in mercy or reform. One judge admits that the verdict was unjust but refuses to reopen the case. Nekhlyudov moves among the wealthy and powerful, but their shallow conversations and self-interest only deepen his disillusionment.

During this time, he meets several political prisoners. Among them is Mary Pavlovna, an intelligent and kind woman who helps organize the prison ward, and Vladimir Simonson, a quiet, idealistic man who believes in reason and justice. Both treat Maslova with dignity, and she begins to change under their influence. She drinks less, becomes more thoughtful, and starts to regain her self-respect. Simonson falls in love with her and asks Nekhlyudov for permission to propose. Nekhlyudov agrees but says she must decide for herself.

Ultimately, Maslova’s appeal fails. The Senate rejects the petition, and the sentence stands. Maslova receives a reduced punishment—exile instead of hard labor—but must still travel across Russia under guard. Nekhlyudov chooses to follow the convoy. Along the way, he sees the harsh conditions prisoners endure. They walk for miles in heat and dust, chained together and poorly fed. Some die from exhaustion, and local officials treat their deaths as routine.

As the group travels, Maslova grows more confident. She begins to help others and speaks more openly with Nekhlyudov. Though she still refuses marriage, she asks for his help with the petitions and supplies he brings. She gradually accepts Simonson’s proposal—not out of love, but in order to live with someone who respects her and shares her new outlook. Nekhlyudov accepts this choice, even though it pains him.

Nekhlyudov continues to assist prisoners where he can. He visits hospitals and jails, speaks with wardens, and delivers letters and packages. He also becomes close to Kriltsov, a young political prisoner suffering from tuberculosis. Kriltsov tells him about years spent in solitary confinement, about friends who died, and about his unshaken belief in justice. When Kriltsov dies in a filthy prison hospital, Nekhlyudov feels overwhelmed by grief.

Soon after, he meets an older man with long hair and tattered clothes. The man says he follows no government or church and believes only in the divine spirit within each person. Nekhlyudov feels unsettled by his boldness and clarity. Later, when he offers the man money, the man refuses and accepts only a piece of bread.

That night, in his hotel room, Nekhlyudov opens a copy of the New Testament. He reads the parables, searching for something solid. One story stays with him: a servant who receives mercy from his master but who then goes on to refuse mercy to anyone else. Nekhlyudov thinks about the system he has seen—how judges, priests, and officials demand obedience but show no humility. He realizes he cannot change the world through law or power. Instead, he must change himself.

Nekhlyudov reads the Sermon on the Mount and feels something shift. He sees that truth does not lie in institutions, punishment, or even sacrifice. It lives in compassion, in refusing to judge, and in offering love to every person. He understands now that he cannot save Maslova or undo the past. However, he can live honestly, guided not by guilt or duty, but by conscience.