Masterpiece Theatre This two-part dramatization of Dostoevsky's 19th century novel centers on a wealthy, elderly grandmother and a Russian nobleman, whose passion for gambling greatly affects those around him. In part one, we meet a young Russian n... (more)obleman, Alexei Ivanovitch, who is down and just about out. While visiting a German gambling spa, he recounts to a British friend the full extent of his involvement in the affairs of a Russian general and his family. The general had been mired in financial debt to a sleazy Frenchman and emotional debt to a cunning Frenchwoman. Alexei is in love with Polina, the general's daughter, who is the epitome of Russian passion and instability. Then...there is Grandma. Her death and fortune would solve the family's problems. However, she is very much alive and after traveling from Moscow, she arrives majestically at the German spa and decides to test her luck at the roulette wheel. Alexei, serving as her escort to the casino, is totally converted to the religion of gambling, the enticement that offers "one single turn of the wheel — and everything."