Heart in the Palm - Audiobook

Main characters

• Yarosh Anton Kuzmich  - a talented surgeon, an excellent family man. During the war he was an underground fighter. 
• Shikovich Kirill Vasilievich  – Yarosh's friend, editorial journalist, is interested in historical facts. Writes books on these topics.

Other characters

• Gukan Semyon Parfenovich  – Chairman of the Executive Committee, a staunch opponent of Shikovich’s views
• Galina Adamovna  is Anton Kuzmich's wife. She loves him very much. She is jealous of all women.
• Vitya  and  Natasha  are the children of the Yarosh couple.
• Valentina Andreevna  is the wife of Kirill Shikovich.
• Irina  and  Slava  are the Shikovich children.
• Taras  is the adopted son of Anton and Galina.
• Masha  is a nurse and works for Yarosh. 
• Zosya  is Anton's old military friend, on whom he performed surgeryheart . Loves him very much. Real name Sofia Savich.
• Tamara Aleksandrovna  – studied with Anton at the institute. Will take revenge on him for not loving her.

Summary of the novel "Heart in the Palm" by chapters of Vasily Shukshin

Chapter 1

Anton Kuzmich and his son Vitya watched a flock of domestic pigeons, and the doctor's wife discussed the hobbies of her beloved men with a neighbor. The women's families lived at the dacha all summer. The Shikovichs and Yaroshis spent a lot of time together. Fishing trips, swimming in the river, friendly gatherings - all this filled their carefree summer life. Kirill invited the chairman of the executive committee Gukan, whose book he edited, to visit. 

Chapter 2

Kirill was very angry that the guest never showed up for dinner. He scolded his wife for spoiling their already grown-up children. The woman managed to smooth over her husband's indignation about their upbringing. To unwind, Shikovich suggests that Anton go fishing. There the men meet Gukan, who is a big fan of fishing. 

Chapter 3

Semyon Parfenovich is late for work, which happens very rarely. He is under the impression of yesterday's rest. After the weekend, colleagues come to his office, and together they discuss how they spent their leisure time. Gukan notices that something is bothering him. He recalls a conversation with Shikovich about the cult of personality. His soul becomes restless.

Chapter 4

Anton Kuzmich goes to a nearby hospital, which is run by a woman he knows who has a crush on him. It is because of her constant attention that Galina has become so jealous. Returning to his workplace, he is urgently asked to examine a new patient with heart problems. The woman calls him by different names and nicknames. He recognizes her as Zosya.

Chapter 5

Meeting the one he had considered dead for over ten years turned all his thoughts upside down. He already imagined himself operating on her. They recall those terrible times when they had to stay underground for a long time. At home, Galina will meet him with more scenes of jealousy. Her husband will tell her that he can no longer put up with such mistrust. That same night, he will remember the serious injury after which he was lucky to survive. And all thanks to her – Zosia.

Chapter 6-7

Slavik Shikovich meets Taras at the train station, whom the Yaroshi raised from the age of 16, after his parents died in the war. After drinking, Vyacheslav showers his father with indignation, who forced him to work at the factory. Returning home, he pesters foreign students, calls them spies, threatens with a bomb. The chairman of the executive committee is already deciding how the offender will be punished.

Chapter 8-9

Yarosh installs new equipment in the operating room. Zosya's operation is approaching. Masha meets her. The girls become friends. The former underground worker tells the nurse about Taras. She wants Anton to introduce his colleague to the guy. He does not resist. The nurse comes to meet Taras. The Shikovichs' daughter Irina sees her as a competitor. After all, she has long been in love with the guy. The neighbors gather around a huge table. Suddenly Slava appears, having spent ten days behind bars. The guy notices Maria. The girl made an indelible impression on him.

Chapter 10

The number of guests is growing. Taras's friends have arrived at the dacha. The guys talk about communism, remember their childhood dreams and voice their current ones. Slavik does not support them. He tries to be sarcastic in every possible way. He offends Masha with his indecent behavior. The father cannot stand such rudeness and hits his son. 

Chapter 11

Yarosh is carefully preparing for Zosya's operation. A special apparatus for the lungs was brought from Kyiv. Many colleagues and interns gathered. Kirill Shikovich also came to watch the progress of the unique operation, so that he could later highlight it in the newspaper.

Chapter 12

Kirill Vasilyevich is rushing to a meeting of the city executive committee. There they will raise the topic of raising children. The conversation will mainly concern his son. This time the criticism is painfully cutting to the father's ears. And he will remind some that not everything is smooth in their families, so he can raise others.

Chapter 13-14

Yarosh stays in the hospital for another day. Shikovich visits all sorts of archives. He is interested in documents about traitors and heroes of his city. He tries to find materials about Doctor Savich, who was Zosya's father. He finds a letter that the doctor himself wrote to the German leadership, offering cooperation. In the archives, the doctor is listed as a traitor to the motherland. This disappoints Kirill Andreevich.

Chapter 15

Chapter 18-20

Sofia is on the mend. Masha is happy for her friend. She reads her poems by Russian classics. The nurse invites Vladislav Shikovich to a meeting. The guy is eager to get there. He behaves with dignity with her and does not allow rudeness or liberties. Taras calls Masha at work and invites her to a concert. She agrees. At a meeting of the executive committee, Yarosh and Shikovich ask to allocate an apartment for Sofia Savich.

Chapter 21-23

Slavik began to yearn for Masha. Seeing that she was dating Taras, he began to hatch a plan for revenge. The guys go to the dacha. There, a serious fight occurs between them. Shikovich, in defiance of Yarosh, goes to Zosya to personally ask about her father. Sofia tells the whole truth. 

Chapter 24

The plant worked in several shifts. They wanted to fulfill the ten-month quota by the opening of the congress. Slavik could not forget Masha. He called her periodically and asked for a date. Soon the guy got tired of her refusals, and he decided to invite crane operator Nina to the cinema.

Chapter 25-26

The autumn was warm. Yarosh loved to go to the forest to collectmushrooms . Masha asked him to take them with Zosya. The trip gave a lot of positive emotions. Gaetskaya mixed up their plans. Tamara Alexandrovna comes to the clinic where Galina works and tells her that she saw her husband with girls. The wife throws a scandal at Anton.

Chapter 27-28

At the session, Yarosh makes a report in which he publicly reveals all the shortcomings of the hospital where Tamara Aleksandrovna is in charge. She assures him that he will not get away with it. Gukan no longer understood whether he had served the party all these years in vain. The 20th Congress finally debunked all the assumptions regarding Stalin's personality cult. Semyon did not yet know what awaited him. 

Chapter 29

Shikovich is invited to Major Serbinovsky. He introduces him to the prisoner who was responsible for Savich's slander. Now Kirill has new facts for the article. Yarosh and Shikovich go to Zosia, despite the fact that Anton has made peace with Galya and promised never to meet the girl. There they meet Taras.

Chapter 30-31

After being intimate with Nina, Slavik began to avoid meeting her. The guys from the brigade reproach him for this. The girl promises to commit suicide if he leaves her with the child. Masha and Taras go to the theater, and there they meet Slava with his companion. Nina understands that Vyacheslav still loves this red-haired girl. Taras once again asks Masha to marry him. Zosya plans to start working in the library.

Chapter 32-34

After the article was published, a stranger comes to Shikovich and tells him about Gukan's underground activities. Zosya also told him about him. Galina follows Anton. She again learns that he goes to Sofia. The woman asks Taras to help with the divorce. He dissuades her. Yarosh's wife is afraid that the children will take their father's side. 

Chapter 35-36

Slavik is looking for a meeting with Masha. He meets her at the skating rink with Taras. The girl agrees to talk, but still drives him away. The team he works for complains about his immoral behavior to the trade union. In a fit of rage, the guy steals his father's car and drives at breakneck speed.

Chapter 37-38

Yarosh comes to Zosya to congratulate her on the upcoming New Year. The girl makes it clear that she is not indifferent to him. Anton leaves.
He operates on Slava, who suffered in an accident. A letter for Masha was found in the guy's pocket. The mother laments that she has paid too little attention to her son. The doctor promises that everything will be fine.

Chapter 39-40

Slavik, in a feverish delirium, recalls the accident, the flames that engulfed the car. He calls his mother. She has not left him for three days. Masha also takes care of him. Zosya writes a farewell letter to Yarosh, in which she thanks him for a new life without pain in her heart. She confesses her love to him, but does not want to destroy the family, so she leaves in an unknown direction. His wife forgives her husband once again. The New Year is approaching, which they will celebrate as a friendly family.