A Gentleman in Moscow Season 1 – TV Series

Episodes 01

“A Master of Circumstance”

In 1921, a Bolshevik tribunal sentences Count Alexander Rostov of Nizhny Novgorod to a lifetime under house arrest in the Hotel Metropol Moscow, where he has resided since 1918. Officer Osip Glebnikov moves Rostov from a luxurious suite into the old servants’ quarters. However, he may still use the hotel’s services because he was promised room and board. Manager Halecki warns Rostov that the government uses the hotel to spy on wealthy guests and find traitors to the Communist Party. Nina Kulikova, a hotel employee’s young daughter, is curious about Rostov’s previous aristocratic life. As they form a friendship, she shows him the hotel’s many hidden passages. Prince Nikolai Petrov, an old friend, asks Rostov to flee the country with him, using false passports. Rostov refuses due to old regrets, loyalty to his country, and not wanting to leave behind a cherished painting of his late sister, Helena. Petrov’s plans are discovered, and, to Rostov’s horror, soldiers execute him in the street.

Episodes 02

“An Invitation”

In 1922, shortly before the Soviet Union is officially established, Rostov reunites with Mikhail “Mishka” Mindich, who is an old college friend and pro-communist. Rostov feels guilty for ending a romance between Mindich and Helena, due to Mindich’s lower social class. Rostov is also aware that Mindich spoke in support of his character to the tribunal. Silent film actress Anna Urbanova and Rostov have casual sex in her suite. He feels slighted when she takes a different man to her room the next night, though Rostov is unaware the man is Alexei Nachevko, a gay film producer. Rostov is pressured by Glebnikov to reveal information about Mindich’s past, but he refuses. As a gesture of good will, Rostov gives Glebnikov his copy of War and Peace as an unofficial Christmas present, despite the holiday being outlawed. Before going to boarding school, Nina gifts Rostov a master key to the hotel, allowing him to go outdoors by accessing the roof.

Episodes 03

“The Last Rostov”

In 1926, Joseph Stalin has risen to power following Lenin’s death. A teenaged Nina returns from school, enthralled with communist ideals. Rostov learns that his beloved grandmother, the Countess Rostova, has died while living abroad. He plans a memorial dinner, despite warnings that it could be dangerous. Changes at the hotel distress Rostov as the USSR seeks to dismantle “monuments to privilege.” Rostov and Anna rekindle their casual sexual relationship. Abram, the hotel’s elderly caretaker, becomes upset when his bee colony disappears from the rooftop hive. Only Mindich and Nina attend Rostov’s memorial dinner. Glebnikov menacingly reminds Rostov that he is a prisoner, and other nobles live in poverty. Rostov contemplates suicide but stops when Abram discovers the bee colony has returned. Abram asks Rostov to be the new beekeeper and he accepts. Meanwhile, Anna worries about her career when Stalin dislikes her latest film. She and Rostov find solace in each other’s company.

Episodes 04

“Good Times”

In 1932, Rostov has become the head waiter at the Boyarsky restaurant. Despite the Great Depression in the capitalist West, the USSR’s economy appears strong. As part of the Komsomol, Nina travels to Donetsk to assist in collectivization. Mindich refuses to censor Anton Chekhov’s private letters for publication, for which he is beaten and must hide in the hotel. He reveals to Rostov that there is a severe famine. The hotel remains unaffected due to the government keeping up appearances for foreigners. Glebnikov orders Rostov to report on Alexei Nachevko, the new Minister of Culture. Anna plans to resurrect her film career. Mindich and Rostov reflect upon how Rostov killed Helena’s abusive lover, Pulonov, in a duel. As a result, Rostov was sent away and Helena later died by suicide. Mindich is arrested by Glebnikov’s men. Rostov discovers Nachevko and General Belsky are not co-conspirators but secretly lovers. Rostov does not expose them, but Belsky is made into a scapegoat. In 1938, Nina’s husband is sentenced to a workcamp and she plans to go with him. She leaves her daughter, Sofia, with Rostov and Nina insists it’s only temporary.

Episodes 05

“An Arrival”

Rostov looks after Sofia, which proves to be a challenge since he is confined to the hotel. However, they bond and settle into a routine. Deputy Hotel Manager Leplevsky pushes Manager Halecki to send Sofia to an orphanage. Rostov convinces them to let her stay for a month, in the hope that Nina will soon return. Anna’s latest film role is given to a younger actress, Mila Federova. Anna realizes her days as a leading lady are over, and she decides to act in the theatre. Nazi Germany is mobilizing in Eastern Europe, making the Soviet Union fearful of war. Marina’s and Andrey’s sons leave to join the army. Leplevsky arranges for Sofia to be taken away, but Rostov and Halecki prevent this by claiming she is Rostov’s niece, allowing her to remain in the hotel. In Siberia, Nina’s corpse is tossed into a mass grave. An adult Sofia explains though voice-over that she searched for her mother but never found any records of what happened to her.

Episodes 06

“The Fall”

In 1947, Rostov struggles with being overly protective of the teenaged Sofia. While she runs up a stairway, the railing breaks, causing her to fall and fracture her skull. Rostov, in a panic, rushes her to the hospital. Leplevsky, who is now the hotel manager, alerts the authorities. Anna convinces the staff to tell Captain Abashev that they did not witness Rostov leaving the hotel. Anna claims that Rostov was in her room all night, though she cannot account for his current whereabouts. Glebnikov locates Rostov at the hospital, where Sofia undergoes surgery. Abashev’s men arrive soon after, so Glebnikov arranges for Rostov to escape in a bread truck. The staff help smuggle Rostov back into the hotel. When Rostov reappears in the lobby before Abashev, he is cleared of Leplevsky’s accusations. Anna decides to live in a hotel suite to be closer to Rostov and Sofia. Anna’s mother figure, Olga, marries hotel concierge Vasily. After making a full recovery, Sofia plays piano at Rostov’s birthday celebration.

Episodes 06

“An Assembly”

In 1953, Sofia wins a piano contest and will tour Europe, including Paris. She chafes under Soviet censorship, which dictates what music she can play. Stalin dies, and a government dinner at the hotel will determine his successor. Rostov is asked by an American, Richard Vanderwhile, to spy on the meeting. Rostov agrees in exchange for Sofia being allowed to defect to the United States. Anna supports his decision and helps fit him with a wire. He records the meeting while working as a waiter. However, Sofia will have to deliver the tapes to the Embassy in Paris. Khrushchev is chosen to replace Stalin, which means the old order, including Glebnikov, will be “excised.” Mindich is released from a workcamp, deeply traumatized and disillusioned. He stays briefly at the hotel, leaving behind a 1913 photo of himself and Rostov. On the back of the photo is a political poem Mindich wrote, but it was published under Rostov’s name to protect Mindich. This deception saved Rostov from execution after the revolution.

Episodes 06

“Adieu”

Rostov, Anna, and Sofia make plans for Sofia to defect while she is on tour in Paris. Rostov and Anna promise to join her by traveling to Finland under stolen passports and then going to the US. Rostov tearfully bids Sofia farewell. Glebnikov warns Rostov that once she defects, the authorities will come after Rostov and Anna. Leplevsky discovers the stolen passports in Rostov’s room. To avoid being arrested, he chains Leplevsky up in the hotel boiler room. In Paris, Sofia disguises herself and barely escapes her chaperones. Anna plans to meet Rostov at the train station. Glebnikov tells her to take the train to Helsinki alone for her own safety, but she hesitates. Rostov learns that Sofia made it to the US Embassy when all the phones in the lobby start ringing simultaneously. He then walks out into the snowy night. In voice-over, Sofia says she neither saw nor heard from Rostov or Anna again, but she likes to believe they are together and free. Rostov and Anna are shown living on a small, picturesque farm surrounded by black apple trees, suggesting they returned to his childhood home.