The Cave by Evgeny Zamyatin Summary

Martin and Masha live in a flat in Petersburg. They are desperately poor, Masha is seriously ill, Martin is without work or income, and the winter is freezing cold. The couple lives in a multi-room tenement, but they retreat back into the innermost room to concentrate heat. Even so, in the deep of winter they run out of fuel and face the real prospect of freezing to death inside their apartment. Martin is frantic in his attempts to provide for Masha but contemplates a phial of poison secreted in the apartment. As their situation becomes increasingly desperate, Martin begins to sink deeper into depression.

Martin calls on the Obertyshev family in his quest for fuel. They have much fuel and voice sympathy for his plight but are unwilling to give him logs for the fire...