Erste Liebe (1918)

Sinaide is the daughter of the respected but impoverished Princess Sassjäkin. She has a wide circle of acquaintances and numerous admirers. She graciously accepts their attentions, but cannot bring herself to feel affection for any of the men who adore her. One day, she meets Peter Wassijewitsch, a wealthy widower, and his young son, Wladimir. The two families quickly become close, and Sinaide falls in love with both father and son. The younger man appeals to her because of his youth and ardent passion; the father, because of his social standing and the financial security he could offer Sinaide and her family. Wanting to care for her brother Wolodja, whose future seems threatened by their mother’s alcoholism, the young woman chooses the widower. The groom-to-be’s elderly mother is far from pleased by this turn of events and tries to dissuade her long-grown son from marrying Sinaide. In secret, she arranges for Peter to meet the sister of his late wife, hoping the two will marry. Peter’s mother also wants to separate her grandson from Sinaide, and manages to persuade Peter to send Wladimir to Moscow to study. Sinaide is now left alone, deeply disappointed in her first love. Together with her mother, she leaves her familiar surroundings, forgotten by her “court” and by her former lover, Peter. Only Wladimir, who is far away in Moscow, can neither forget her nor wants to. One day, when the young man learns that Sinaide is currently in Moscow, he sets out to find her. Wladimir finds her—impoverished, ill, and broken. Sinaide had devoted her health and her strength to working for the sake of her brother and mother. When Wladimir offers her financial support, her pride makes her reject him. Only when Sinaide is dying does she let him come to her. She dies in Wladimir’s arms.