- The party at Anna Pavlovna’s is in full swing.
- Helene, Prince Vassily’s daughter, shows up to take her father to another party. She’s super hot.
- Liza Bolkonsky arrives; she's the sister-in-law to the eligible bachelorette Anna was talking about. She’s giantly pregnant and looks great, chit-chatting with all the guests.
- Every guest has to go over and say hello to Anna Pavlovna’s old visiting aunt. The aunt is a total nobody, but it’s the polite thing to do to.
- The next guest is Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of Count Bezukhov, who had been a big-deal political guy for Empress Catherine the Great, who was on the throne just before the current emperor, Paul I.
- Pierre is a total newbie and has no clue how to behave. He rudely snubs Anna’s old aunt, then hogs Anna even though he should know that, as the hostess, she has to circulate. Finally, he tries to butt into whatever conversations are happening around him.
- Anna’s stressed about this guy ruining the evening, but Pierre is just psyched to be there among all the intellectuals of Petersburg (the capital of Russia back then).