Daughter of a Captain

Author: Pushkin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-10-01
Features: The noble youth Grinyov gets lost on his way to the White Mountain Fortress due to a severe blizzard. While being pursued by the czar's soldiers, Pugachev (Grinyov did not know his identity at the time) guides Grinyov. To show his gratitude, Grinyov gives Pugachev a sheepskin coat. This way, Grinyov safely reaches a village, and Pugachev avoids capture by the soldiers. During his service at the White Mountain Fortress, Grinyov falls in love with Maria, the daughter of the fortress commander. The young officer Schwabrin, out of jealousy, challenges Grinyov to a duel, leaving the latter severely wounded. Pugachev leads the peasants in an uprising in October 1773. The peasant rebels advance like a whirlwind, unstoppable, and soon capture the White Mountain Fortress. The fortress commander and his wife, Mironov, are executed, Schwabrin surrenders to Pugachev's peasant army, while Grinyov remains loyal to the czar and refuses to join Pugachev's rebellion. After his capture, he awaits execution. On the day of his execution, Pugachev recognizes Grinyov as the young man who gave him the sheepskin coat in the blizzard and spares his life, releasing him instead. Grinyov, loyal to the czar and standing on the side of the nobility, does not join Pugachev's peasant army. Schwabrin, who has surrendered to the peasant rebels, forces Maria to marry him, but she refuses. With no choice, Grinyov seeks help from Pugachev, who once again saves Maria at a critical moment, helping her marry Grinyov. In 1774, Pugachev's peasant uprising fails, and he is captured. Accused of associating with Pugachev by Schwabrin, Grinyov is arrested and sentenced to life in exile. Maria, as the orphan of the White Mountain Fortress commander, travels to St. Petersburg to present the czarina Catherine II with the truth that Grinyov did not betray the czar. The czarina reverses the original judgment, and Grinyov is declared innocent and released. Pugachev is sentenced to death by hanging. On the day of his execution, he gathers the crowd in the square and recognizes Grinyov, nodding at him before meeting his fate with composure.