As Leo Tolstoy approaches the end of his life, his inner circle engages in a desperate struggle to control his legacy and his spiritual direction. The narrative follows the aging author as he attempts to reconcile his public image as a moral prophet with the reality of his domestic life. His wife, Sofya, fights to maintain her position and the family's inheritance, while his devoted disciple, Chertkov, maneuvers to secure the rights to Tolstoy's writings for his own ideological agenda. Told through multiple perspectives, the novel captures the claustrophobic atmosphere of the Yasnaya Polyana estate and the mounting tension of Tolstoy's final, fateful flight from home.

This work is widely regarded for its meticulous research and its ability to humanize a literary icon without stripping away his contradictions. Critics often highlight the balanced portrayal of the central conflict, noting that the author avoids taking sides between the competing factions surrounding Tolstoy. The prose is frequently praised for its accessibility and its success in rendering a dense historical period into a compelling narrative arc. Readers often find the depiction of the domestic turmoil to be the most engaging aspect of the book, providing a grounded counterpoint to the lofty philosophical debates occurring within the household.