The execution of the Tsar is presented as a turning point in Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov’s life: once news of it reaches him in Paris, he sets out for Russia, abandoning the life he had been living abroad. The event’s significance in this account lies less in a description of the execution than in the immediate journey and family separation it precipitates.

News and Departure

The execution itself is not staged or described. Instead, the narrative gives its consequence: when word reaches Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, he leaves Paris at once. The abrupt departure makes the news a decisive break in his life abroad and the direct cause of his return to a country already on the verge of upheaval.

The Journey to Idlehour

The Count’s return takes twenty days. He crosses six nations and skirts eight battalions fighting under five different flags before arriving at Idlehour on 7 August 1918. He reaches the estate with nothing but a rucksack, a stark measure of how little of his former life he has carried back with him.

Family Consequences

At Idlehour, the Count finds the household distressed, while his grandmother, the Countess, remains composed. He explains that she must leave the country and describes the arrangements he has made for her passage. Although every servant is willing to accompany her, she understands that she must travel with only two; she also understands why her grandson and only heir, whom she raised from the age of ten, will not go with her. The execution thus marks the beginning of a separation: the Count’s return brings him to his family, but does not reunite the household for long.