The collection includes two of Ostrovsky's arguably most famous plays: 'The Storm' (1859) and 'The Dowry' (1878). Both plays describe the tragic fates of their heroines. Two shattered lives. Two passionate hearts. Two poignant love stories. And two attempts to escape the vicious circle. In Ostrovsky's time, 'The Storm' was a bombshell; it's no coincidence that the critic Dobrolyubov called its heroine 'a ray of light in a dark kingdom.'
Despite the fact that times have changed, the plays remain relevant. Because hypocrisy, ostentatious virtue, egoism, and self-love will always stand in the way of sincere feelings and the true impulses of the soul.