Plot synopsis: Young master Henry and his peer, the son of a rich Tatar landowner Salim Mirza, fall in love with the same girl. Hania is an orphan, the daughter of Henry's father's faithful servant. There is a fierce rivalry between the young men for the girl's favor, and it ends in a duel in which both are wounded. After recovering, Henry learns that Hania has passed smallpox and has been disfigured. The girl rejects Selim's proposals and joins a convent.