Nachtpauwoog ("Emperor Moth") (1889) by Vincent Van Gogh

 

Act 1: Peace
Act 2: You don't know what you're getting into
Act 3: The blossoming poet
Act 4: War
Act 5: Lina's wishes


 

ACT 5: LINA'S WISHES
Lina is released after 8 years in the Gulag, with the help of Shostakovich, by now a high-level Party functionary. As part of her official "rehabilitation," Lina is required to sign an oath of silence about her experiences in the camps. Meeting Mira for the second time (and last time) at Shostakovich's 50th birthday jubilee, Lina is shocked to learn of Mira's marriage to Serge just before her arrest. Years later, celebrating her last birthday with her sons, Lina suffers a flashback of memories in the camps - will she ever really be free?

Photo: "Nachtpauwoog" (1889) by Vincent van Gogh, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7632826