"The Cossacks" tells the story of a disillusioned Russian gentleman, Dmitri Olenin, who tries to find fulfillment among the Cossack people of the Caucasus. When Olenin begins to yield to the Cossack way of life, he realizes many things, the most significant being his sense of self. This work is partially autobiographical, based on Tolstoy's experiences in the Caucasus during the last stages of the Caucasian War.