Family Happiness Summary

Marya Alexandrovna is a 17-year-old woman who grows increasingly depressed after her mother's death while spending the winter at the family's country home. The attractive teenager lives with her younger sister Sinya and Katya, an old family friend and governess. The oppressive Russian winter with its chilling and isolating snow storms drains her spirit and makes Marya yearn for Petersburg. In the midst of their grief, an old friend of Mary's father, Sergey Mikhaylych, drops by to bring a little bit of cheer. At first, Marya is repelled by his buoyant and extroverted manner. However, a long-standing feeling of friendship going back to her earliest days slowly develops into a romantic attachment when the middle-aged man of affairs returns for a visit in May, then comes several times a week during the summer. Gradually, Sergey teases Marya about her self-centered coquettish...