Arkady returns to his Russian provincial home after graduation, taking with him his friend Bazarov and there ensues a clash between generations and points of view.

Bazarov, the first in a literary line of angry young men, is a nihilist who represents the new democratic intelligentsia of Russia in the 1860s. His 'nihilism' is simply a rejection of whatever cannot be established scientifically - everything else is 'romantic rubbish' he declares. Arkady's uncle Pavel, however, is an aristocrat who clings to the old values, including a love of poetry and nature, while Arkady himself is a moderate - a liberal gentleman.

When Fathers and Sons was first published, it was severely criticized by the left who felt it was a harsh satire on them, and the right who stated that it was too conciliatory. Turgenev, however, struggled to emphasize the importance of humanity and universal values. Fathers and Sons was his finest novel, the peak of his artistry and of his psychological insight.