A short novel of a psychological and philosophical nature in which Tolstoy tells the story of a man named Pozdnyshev who confesses during a train journey that he killed his wife out of jealousy. Through his confession, he reveals a failed marriage based on lust, not love, and a bitter internal conflict regarding women, marriage, and relationships. His jealousy escalates when his wife plays Beethoven's "Kreutzer Sonata" with a male violinist; he imagines a romantic relationship between them, and his obsession leads him to commit the crime.

The novel is not merely a crime story, but a moral indictment of society and marriages based on physical desire, and a deep reflection on the nature of love, jealousy, and possessiveness. Tolstoy presents a strict moral vision, in which he believes that true love is not based on lust but on spiritual purity, revealing the painful contradictions in human relationships.