Hadji Abrek by Mikhail Lermontov. Short summary

5 seconds

A prince kidnaps the daughter of an old Dagestani man. A young man, who has volunteered to help, kills the girl to avenge the prince for his brother’s death. The old man learns of his daughter’s death and dies.

1 minute

The old Dagestan man had three daughters and three sons. But all of his children are dead, only one of his daughters remains. He goes to live in the desert, hoping to keep the girl there.

One day the father wakes up to the stomping of horses and sees his daughter being taken away by Prince Bei-Bulat. In despair, he asks the djemat daredevils for help. One of the young men, Hadji, agrees. But he does not think of helping. Meeting the old man’s daughter Leila, he kills her.

It transpires that Hadji had a brother, who was meanly murdered by Bey-Bulat. The young man, trying to avenge his death, realizes that death would be too easy a deliverance for the murderer. He decides to kill what his enemy loves.

Hadji brings the girl’s head to her father. The old man, unable to bear the grief, dies. A year later, the travelers find two bodies of villains in rich clothing. One of them belongs to Bey-Bulat, and neither of them could recognize the other.