Doctor Zhivago Summary

The narrative revolves around Yury Zhivago, a passionate individual conflicted by his affection for two women, while swept up in the turbulent events of 20th-century Russia. After his mother's death in his early childhood, he is raised by his Uncle Kolya and later pursues medicine at a university in Moscow. During this time, he meets Tonya, eventually marrying her and becoming a father to their son, Sasha.

As a medical officer in the army, he is positioned in a small town where he encounters Lara, a woman whom he had noticed on two previous occasions. She is married to Pasha, a missing soldier, and has a daughter named Katya, left behind at her birthplace, Yuryatin. In spite of his attraction to Lara, Yury returns to his wife and son in Moscow. However, due to the hardships of the time, he and his family move east to Varyniko, an estate previously owned by Tonya's grandfather. There, in the nearby city, Yury once again crosses paths with Lara, leading to a brief affair before he is conscripted by the partisan army.

Throughout the conflict between the Tsarist Whites and Communist Reds, Yury is compelled to stay with the army. Once released, he reunites with Lara, and they retreat to Varykino. In a complicated twist, Lara's ex-husband Pasha, now a wanted man, and Komarovsky, an older man from her past, reappear, urging them to flee. Yury ensures Lara and her daughter's escape with Komarovsky, while he remains behind. Back in Moscow, he lives with Marina, a family friend's daughter, with whom he has two children. Despite his peaceful life, Yury dies of a heart attack on his way to a new job. Lara, who appears at his funeral, seemingly vanishes later, presumably dying in a concentration camp. Years later, it is discovered that a laundry-girl named Tanya, met by Yury's old friends Misha and Nicky during WWII, is the daughter of Yury and Lara.