The Cossacks is a short novel by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1863 in the popular literary magazine The Russian Messenger. It was originally called Young Manhood. Both Ivan Turgenev and the Nobel prize-winning Russian writer Ivan Bunin gave the work great praise, with Turgenev calling it his favourite work by Tolstoy.The young idealist Dmitry Andreich Olenin leaves Moscow, hoping to start out a replacement life within the Caucasus. within the stanitsa, he slowly becomes enamored by the environment and despises his previous existence. He befriends the old Cossack Eroshka, who goes hunting with him and finds him an honest fellow due to his propensity to drinking. During this point, young Cossack Luka kills a Chechen who is trying to return across the river towards the village to scout the Cossacks and during this way gains much respect. Olenin falls crazy with the maid Maryanka, who is to be wed to Luka later within the story. He tries to prevent this emotion and eventually convinces himself that he loves both Luka and Maryanka for his or her simplicity and decides that happiness can only come to a person who constantly gives to others with no thought of self-gratification.He first gives an additional horse to Luka, who accepts this yet doesn't trust Olenin on his motives. As time goes on, however, though he gains the respect of the local villagers, another Russian named Beletsky, who remains attached to the ways of Moscow, comes and partially corrupts Olenin's ideals and convinces him through his actions to aim to win Maryanka's love. Olenin approaches her several times and Luka hears about this from a Cossack, and thus doesn't invite Olenin to the betrothal party. Olenin spends the night with Eroshka but soon decides that he won't hand over on the girl and attempts to win her heart again. He eventually, during a moment of passion, asks her to marry him, which she says she is going to answer soon.Luka, however, is severely wounded when he and a gaggle of Cossacks attend confront a gaggle of Chechens who try to attack the village, including the brother of the person he killed earlier. Though the Chechens lose after the Cossacks take a cart to dam their bullets, the brother of the slain Chechen manages to shoot Luka within the belly when he's accessible . As Luka seems to be dying and is being cared for by village people, Olenin approaches Maryanka to ask her to marry him; she angrily refuses. He realizes that "his first impression of this woman's inaccessibility had been perfectly correct." He asks his company commander to go away and join the staff. He says goodbye to Eroshka, who is that the only villager who sees him off. Eroshka is emotional towards Olenin but after Olenin flies and appears back, he sees that Eroshka has apparently already forgotten about him and has gotten back to normal life.