PLOT

Prologue

Anna Karenina's lifeless body lies on a catafalque. Count Vronsky, Anna's beloved, appears. Anna's husband Karenin, her closest relatives and friends come one by one to pay their last respects - respect that few of them offered her during the trying time towards the end of her life. Grief-stricken by Anna's fate, Vronsky recalls the days when she was still alive. He imagines her face: The happy woman regarding her son Serosha with pride and love. In a nightmare, Vronsky sees the train ride faster and faster...

Act 1

Anna arrives with her maid at the central station in Moscow. Count Vronsky is at the station meeting his mother. Anna is greeted by her brother Steva and his wife Dolly. Anna and Vronsky's eyes meet in a magic moment that would change their lives. Time stops. That instant, everyone is alarmed by a tragic accident. The train jerks forward, and a person is crushed under it. This omen is imprinted in Anna's memory.

That same evening at the home of the aristocratic Scherbatsky family, Constantine Levin, who is has fallen in love with the Scherbatsky's daughter Kitty, proposes to her. But Kitty is hopelessly in love with Vronsky, and declines him politely.

Later in the evening, Anna arrives at the party. As a young, beautiful aristocratic woman from the capital, she is immediately the centre of attention. Kitty is filled with admiration for her, but when Vronsky turns his back on her and dances with Anna instead, Kitty's world collapses. Anna captures the attention of the Moscow aristocracy but feels confused and insecure at this sudden infatuation. She has hurt Kitty, given in to her feelings and compromised her social position within aristocratic circles. She decides to leave Vronsky and return to Saint Petersburg.

Vronsky, who realises that Anna is leaving, sneaks on board the train. Still in distraught, Anna gets off at the Bologoye station, which is shrouded in a blizzard. Vronsky appears from the snow. Anna is startled but at the same time grasps the scope of their love.

At the station in Saint Petersburg, Anna is met by her husband, the dispassionate civil servant Alexei Karenin. Vronsky is introduced. The men greet each other with displeasure. At home, Anna is reunited with her son, who is the image reflection of her infatuation with Vronsky and her vow of fidelity to Karenin.

That night Anna is invited to a soirée at Betsy, Princess Tverskoy's, a social event for the most affluent circles. Anna and Vronsky fail to hide their emotions. When Alexei Karenin arrives and realises their conspicuous courtship, he asks Anna to return home. She refuses and he leaves in confusion. Karenin experiences a sense of powerlessness unknown to him. When Anna arrives home she acts as if nothing has happened. Karenin confronts her and warns her, but Anna feels that all has already been lost.

In his dream vision, Vronsky only has Anna in mind. His only desire is to see her again. He recalls all their meetings and the image of the dead man at the station, which at their first encounter scared Anna stiff. Vronsky wakes from his dream and discovers that Anna has arrived. Their love is like a terrifying yet enchanted dream of happiness; Anna's passionate feelings are haunted by doubt and shame.

Act 2

The Tsar, aristocracy and bourgeoisie convene at the racecourse. Among the officers taking part in the horse race is Count Vronsky. All eyes are on the horse riders. Anne follows Vronsky closely. Suddenly Vronsky's horse falls over. Her feelings erupt and she tries to force her way through the crowd to reach Vronsky. This becomes too much for Karenin, and he orders her to leave the racecourse with him. Anna realises that she can no longer live with a man she does not love, and that she must leave Karenin.

Karenin worries what influence the situation is going to have his social standing. He considers a duel with Vronsky, but how can a civil servant compete with an officer? He realises he is powerless when dealing with love. Anna, who can no longer endure the lies and deceit, visits Vronsky, who insists on their love and encourages her to leave Karenin, but Anna cannot bear to lose her son. She feels as if she were on the verge of an abyss and collapses.

Anna is so ill that they fear for her life. In her feverish delusion, Anna experiences both Karenin and Vronsky as her husband. They both fight for her love and obscure her soul. In her nightmare, she is torn between her strong emotions for Vronsky and her social standing, husband and son. When she wakes, Karenin is standing by her side. She asks him for forgiveness and he offers to take her back and forget the past. She turns her back on Vronsky and tells him that their relationship must end.

Vronsky is desperate. He who has won the hearts of so many women has like never before fallen in love - with a woman he cannot have. Everything seems lost, and he sees no other alternative than to take his own life.

Anna, who is recuperating from her illness, receives a visit from Betsy. She tells Anna that Vronsky has tried to take his own life. Anna is distraught and realises that she cannot live without Vronsky. She leaves her husband and son with the consequences this entails.

Anna and Vronsky decide to travel far away from Saint Petersburg. They move to Italy, where Anna regains her zest for life and for a while feels happy. The memories seem like a distant and bitter dream. Yet despite her happiness she yearns for her son. This longing finally brings her back to Russia to see her son.

Anna arrives at Karenin's home in secrecy. Her meeting with her son is tender yet full of despair. Karenin discovers Anna's visit and dispels her. She realises that she has lost her son forever.

Anna's grief for the loss of her son is a burden on her relationship with Vronsky. Anna proposes an evening at the opera. Vronsky tries to discourage her. Conscious of the fact that she has challenged the norms of the aristocracy, she leaves without Vronsky. The high circles of Saint Petersburg are assembled at the theatre. When Anna enters, all lorgnettes are directed towards her. She realises that the aristocracy has turned its back on her, and that she has lost her position in society. She is no longer admired but rejected. Anna flees from the opera in a state of emotional distress over the lies and deceit that have brought this downfall upon her.

She seeks comfort from Vronsky, but she senses his feelings for her have changed and that she is losing the only love she has. Social rejection she can take, but the loss of her son and Vronsky's love is unbearable. When Vronsky leaves her for a short moment, she vividly recalls the image of the accident at the train station. She now knows how to bring an end to her sorrow and unhappy life. The blizzard reflects the high emotions that rush through Anna's fragile soul. The train charges from a far, and in her last memory Anna sees Vronsky before her. She walks towards the light that will bring eternal darkness...