A Woman Loved (2013) is set in Saint Petersburg, Russia, from 1980 to 1995. Oleg Erdmann is a young Russian filmmaker of German descent. He is a poor 26-year-old student living in a communal flat with fifteen other people. He is obsessed with Catherine the Great (1729-1796). The novel is about Oleg’s attempt at writing a screenplay about Catherine the Great’s life. In doing so, there are many obstacles. Oleg’s girlfriend Lessya has read the first eleven pages of his screenplay and hates it. His fellow students tease him about the potential length of the film. His university lecturer thinks Oleg’s film project is too ambitious – politically, financially, and historically. Catherine’s life has too many dramas – from German princess to Russian empress, her lovers, her desire to dominate, the coup d’etat, the murder of her husband Peter III, her rise to power, her son, her expeditions to foreign lands, too many biographical details – too many characters, too many wa