Set in the last tumultuous years of Leo Tolstoy's (Hopkins) life, the historical biopic centers on the battle for his soul waged by his wife, Sofya Andreyevna, (Streep) and his leading disciple, Vladimir Cherkov (Giamatti). Torn between his professed codtrine of poverty and chastity and the reality of his enormous wealth, his thirteen children, and a life of hedonism, Tolstoy makes a dramatic flight from his home. Too ill to continue beyond the tiny rail station at Astapovo, he believes that he is dying alone, while over one hundred newspapermen camp outside awaiting hourly reports on his condition.