After witnessing a performance of “Yevgeny Onyegin,” Nadya Zelenin, a 16-year-old girl, is swept up in the romantic and tragic elements of the story. Inspired by the character Tatyana, she hastily sets about writing a dramatic and heartfelt letter, pretending to address it to a loved one as Tatyana did, professing unrequited love and the turmoil it brings. She imagines the letter is directed at Gorny, an officer, and Gruzdev, a student, both of whom are purported to love her. However, Nadya is caught up in the fantasy of being unloved and finds a strange beauty in the sadness of unrequited love, similar to the dynamic between Tatyana and Onyegin in the opera.

Indulging in her fantasy, Nadya writes of ending her own life or becoming a nun to escape the pain of love, capturing the drama and intensity she witnessed on stage. Despite her dramatic declarations, her sorrow morphs into joy as she contemplates the attention she’s received from Gorny and Gruzdev, the latter being a friend of Gorny whom she praises in her writing.

Nadya’s mood shifts rapidly; the despair in her letter gives way to euphoria without any clear reason. This shift leads her to laughter, seemingly finding amusement in her own theatrics. Through Nadya’s actions, we see a youthful indulgence in romantic and tragic fantasy, reflecting her naiveté and the intensity of emotions youthful infatuation can evoke. Her behavior mimics the opera’s emotional depth, yet it’s clear that her understanding of love is still very much in its infancy, shaped more by drama and literature than by real-life experiences.