- In hindsight, everyone seemed dedicated to doing their all for their country – one of those “greatest generations” that war creates. But in reality, plenty of people were just as worried about their own lives and small-time doings during the war.
- Let’s check out one such person, our old friend Nikolai Rostov.
- He’s sent ahead of his division to the city of Voronezh, way outside the fighting, to resupply. He goes happily, psyched to escape army life for a few weeks.
- In Voronezh, he meets the head of the militia, then the city governor, whose wife turns out be one of his mom’s old friends.
- Immediately he gets sucked into the little social scene there. All the ladies flirt with him and everyone makes a huge deal out of him. Which is just fine with Nikolai.
- One night everyone gets together for an informal ball, and Nikolai chats up the wife of some local official. Her husband isn’t the greatest fan of this, but Nikolai plays it like they’re all three in on the joke together.