Lavrenty Mikhailovich Kologrivov, the father of Nadya Kologrivova, is a wealthy landowner and prominent supporter of progressive politics. Kologrivov hosts a variety of socialist intellectuals at his estate, Duplyanka, and virtually adopts both Nika Dudorov and Lara Guichard, employing Lara as a tutor and loaning her the money to support her wayward brother, Rodya.