Vera; Or, The Nihilists

'Vera; or, The Nihilists' is a play by Oscar Wilde. It is a tragedy set in Russia and is loosely based on the life of Vera Zasulich. The story begins by introducing us to Vera, a barmaid in her father's tavern, which is situated along a road to the prison camps in Siberia. A gang of prisoners stop at the tavern. Vera immediately recognises her brother Dmitri as one of the prisoners. He begs her to go to Moscow and join the Nihilists, a terrorist group trying to assassinate the Czar, and avenge his imprisonment. She and her father's manservant Michael leave to join the Nihilists.