Eugene Onegin, a bored young St Petersburg dandy, inherits a country estate and befriends his neighbour, the romantic poet Lensky. Tatyana, the shy elder sister of Lensky's fiancée, falls for Onegin and confesses it in a letter, which he coolly rebuffs; a careless flirtation at her name-day party then has grave consequences, and years later the two meet again in Petersburg society.