The theme of And Quiet Flows the Don unfolds a great and tragic love story against the backdrop of revolution, war, and social upheaval. On a Tatar farm, Grigory becomes interested in his neighbor Aksinya, Stepan Astakhov's wife. To restore their son's sanity, Grigory's parents almost force him to marry another woman. Grigory soon realizes he cannot live with his beloved and leaves home. Shortly afterward, he enlists in the military. The outbreak of World War I and the subsequent tragic events fundamentally change the lives of every character in the play.