Fedor Ivanitch Lavretsky, a Russian nobleman, abandons his wife in Paris after her infidelity. He returns to his family estate in Russia intending to “cultivate the soil” and falls in love with Lisa, the devout daughter of his cousin, who encourages Lavretsky to reconcile with his wife. Through Lavretsky, Turgenev reflects upon his own impending middle age, and the ephemeral natures of love and happiness.

A House of Gentlefolk , Turgenev’s second novel, was originally published in Sovremennik in 1859, following the Crimean War but preceding the emancipation of the serfs. It has been translated into English under many different names, including Liza, or A Nest of Nobles , A Nest of Hereditary Legislators , and A Home of the Gentry .