Snow

SYNOPSIS

The Setting: The story is set during a secluded, snowy winter in a small Russian town. It is mid-1940s – wartime – and Tatyana Petrovna is billeted in a house with an elderly man.

The First Letter: He dies, leaving Tatiana Petrovna alone in the house with her small daughter. She opens a letter addressed to the man from his son Nicolai, who has been serving on a ship near Odessa, and discovers that he will shortly arrive on leave. He reminisces about his beloved home, and Tatiana Petrovna does her best to restore it to the dear place he remembers so well.

The Arrival: Nicolai arrives on the train. He finds out at the station that his father has died and a strange woman is living in the house. He thinks only to take a brief look at the house, but Tatiana Petrovna has been waiting for him and persuades him to come in. He can only stay for one night; the journey has consumed almost all his leave, and he must depart the next morning.

The Second Letter: A few days later, a letter arrives from Nicolai. He describes a fleeting moment from 1927 in the Crimea, where he saw a woman on a bench and felt she was meant to be his fate, though he never approached her. He is sure that Tatiana Petrovna is that woman. He has miraculously found her again, and if she will have him, he is ready to devote his life to her.

The Conclusion: Tatyana reads the letter and thinks that while she has never been to the Crimea, the connection feels real. The story highlights the beauty of the small town buried in the snow as a backdrop to this quiet emotional development.