In which the stoic Alexey Alexandrovitch wrestles with the cruel revelation of his wife's infidelity, striving to quell the storm of jealousy and anguish within him by resolving to maintain their union for the sake of appearances and moral rectitude. Thoughtfully weighing the folly of duels, divorces, and separations, he settles on a path seeking order and religious justification amidst the turmoil that besets his honour and future.