King Stach's Wild Hunt

Andrey Beloretskiy, the historian, philologist and folklore collector, gets to the age-old estate “Marsh Spruces”, where he meets Nadezhda Yanovskaya – the house owner and the last of the representatives of the noble and once the rich kin of the Yanovski’s. The girl is worn out with the horror – noise is heard in the house, silent steps, and outside, in the fog, in the autumn rain in the neglected, god-forsaken, black from age and moisture park, practically every night sinister voices sing – wild hunt headed by the ‘revived’ King Stakh…
In the room of the palace library Beloretskiy gets to know Ignatiy Berman, the keeper of the priceless books and manuscripts of the estate. Berman talks about the tragic death of Roman Yanovsky, Nadezhda’s father, that happened a year ago and speaks ironically of the phantoms that are seen by the owner – the mysterious Blue Woman and Small Swamp Man.

Act 1, scene 1
…The day of Nadezhda Yankovskaya’s coming of age. “Marsh Spruces” collect the flower of the local gentry. The arrogant and swaggering Ales Vorona and Nadezhda’s guardian Sir Rygor Dubatovk are among them. Dubatovk brings the girl the portrait of her ancestor Roman Stary as one of the present. The family curse of the Yanovsky is connected with him. Beloretskiy asks the guardian to tell the family legend…
“When in times of the great disturbance the courageous gentleman Stakh headed the revolt, the people and the gentry swore to as the King. And he worth it!”
But Stakh’s friend and adviser Roman Yanovsky hid the treason on his heart. During the hunt the Yanovsky’s servants made him drunk with the poisoned wine, deceitfully killed him, tied to the horses and drove to the swamp. But before the death Stakh said terrible words:
“You’ve sold me, sold the motherland, sold your people and your land, so woe worth you and your kin! But I doom the heirs of twelve generations to terrible death. We’ll rise from marsh graves, wait for us, Roman, the day of reckoning will come!”
After that none of the Yankovskys died a natural death…
Under the impression of the terrible legend, as if for the first time Beloretskiy sees the owner of the house, her grief, loneliness, improbable obedience to fortune, her nobility and surprising beauty.  
On the ball Beloretskiy also meets Andrey Svetilovich – the young man, excluded from the University for participating in student disturbances. His wisdom, spiritual purity, hatred of the nasty, hypocritical surroundings are utterly close to Beloretskiy.
…In an empty room of the dark, dull and gloomy house Nadezhda confesses Beloretskiy that she is the descendant of Roman Stary in the twelfth generation, the last of the stained with crime kin of the Yanovskys. But the young man tries to comfort the woman and she begins to believe that the horror of the wild hunt is possible to overcome…

Act 2, scene 2
Night. The bitter song is heard over Polesye. Listening to it Beloretskiy understands how hard he loves his Motherland, how deeply he worries about its tragic fate.
“My land…How did you anger the God, my dear, how and what for you were doomed to sufferings?”
Svetilovich and Rygor, the forester of the “Marsh Spruces”, come to Beloretskiy. Svetilovich says that he picked up a scent of the wild hunt, but he wants to be convinced of his suspicions. The heart of the young man is full of big but unrequited love to Nadezhda. Sadly, as if feeling his coming death, Svetilovich asks Beloretskiy to become the friend of the Yanovsky and protect her.
Beloretskiy is confused, he begins to understand that all the ghosts of the “Marsh Spruces” are not Nadezhda’s fantasy, not the evil joke, but the horrible human will.
Threateningly the hunting horn of the King Stakh is heard…

Scene 3
The ancient park of the “Marsh Spruces”, Nadezhda is looking forward the return of Beloretskiy.
Andrey appears and tenderly appeals to the girl. Their dialogue is interrupted with the unexpected arrival of Dubatovk that invites the young man to his place. Beloretskiy is trying to tell him about the hunt, but the guardian laughs at his words. Nadezhda is in despair, only now she begins to feel the infinite charm of life and love.

Scene 4
Beloretskiy comes to the bachelor’s party to the house of Dubatovk. The merriment is in full cry, the owner entertains the guests, treats them with age-old dainty dishes. Andrey Dubatovk about Berman – the one, who lived in the “Marsh Spruces” to confirm his relationship with the kin of Yanovskys, scared Nadezhda with the Small Swamp Man, dreamed to take away the estate. “And the King’s Hunt? Who does it and why?” – reasons Beloretskiy. And suddenly Dubatovk says the terrible words – he is the King Stakh, he is the hunt, he is the only law and truth, he is the death of Svetilovich, Nadezhda’s father, Berman. The same future he has prepared to Yanovsky and Beloretskiy…
Suddenly the house of Dubatovk is breaks out with fire. The terrible wild hunt dies in it. When the smoke disperses, Beloretskiy sees the beautiful landscape and in a study he listens to the bitter and sad voice of Belarus.