The central character is a peasant, Nikita, who seduces and abandons a young orphan girl Marinka; then the lovely Anisija murders her own husband to marry Nikita. He impregnates his new stepdaughter, then, under his wifes influence, murders the baby. The Forces of Darkness refers to a gathering of evil (and sometimes neutral) aligned warriors by Shinnok in the game Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. They are the opposing army that clashes with the Forces of Light in the Battle of Armageddon. the plays production was forbidden in Russia until 1902, mainly through the influence of Konstantin Pobedonostsev. In spite of the ban, the play was unofficially produced and read numerous times.