As the novel begins we see Nikolai Kirsaanov eagerly waiting at a train station for his son, Arkady. Arkady has just graduated from the University of St. Petersburg, where he became close friends with the nihilistic Bazarov. The immature Arkady has been shaped by Bazarov’s influence. He is deferential to his friend, and the sincerity of Arkady’s adopted nihilism is questionable. Nikolai seems to have passed his romantic worldview onto to his son, and it shines through his new, affected philosophy. He is moved by music, as evidenced by his interest in Katya’s playing, loves his father, and even retains some of traditional values. He even defends his uncle Pavel against Bazarov’s attacks on his character. Still, time in the vibrant city of St. Petersburg, away from his country home, has clearly inspired a deep interest in modernity and liberalism in the young Arkady. The young protagonist of the novel is shocked by the disturbing quality of life of the impoverished that he sees upon his return home.
He later leaves home with Bazarov, arriving at the estate of Madame Anna Odintsov. Anna takes great interest in Bazarov and his revolutionary ideas, and the two spend much of their time together. Though, like Bazarov, Arkady is drawn to Anna, she is more interested in Bazarov. Arkady, left alone, spends his time with Anna’s 18-year old sister, who entertains him with Mozart sonatas. He ultimately falls in love with the young Katya. Before fully realizing this, Anna rejects Bazarov’s declaration of his love for her, motivating the two to leave the Odintsov estate. They leave for Bazarov’s home where they happily welcomed by his parents. Anna’s rejection has left Bazarov ill-tempered, and Arkady nearly gets into a fight with him.
Arkady ultimately returns home, where he quickly realizes that he wants to return to the Odintsov house. At the end of the novel, Arkady appears to us as an independent man who has greatly developed from the somewhat naïve boy we meet in the first pages. The older Arkady has evolved his own worldview, different from the nihilistic one he adopted from Bazarov. He gives up nihilistic views through his open love for Katya. The two are engaged and are happily in love. Six months after Bazarov dies of typhus, Arkady and Katya marry. After the young couple is married, Nikolai marries Fenitchka in the same ceremony and passes on his management of the estate to Arkady.