The Cossacks

It tells the story of a young nobleman Dmitri Olenin who decides to join the Russian army and go to the Caucasus where he hopes to find adventure and meaning in his life. Olenin falls in love with a Cossack girl Maryanka and becomes enamored with the simple unspoiled life of the Cossacks. The novel explores themes of romantic idealism disillusionment and the clash of cultures between the Russian aristocracy and the Cossacks. It is considered one of Tolstoys early masterpieces and is notable for its vivid descriptions of the natural world and its sympathetic portrayal of the Cossack way of life.