Shipwreck moves abroad: though the central figures remain largely Russian, it and Salvage are plays of exile. The European revolutions of 1848 are the pivotal events of this play -- moments of hope that are revealed as failures.

Salvage continues with Alexander Herzen's efforts abroad, printing a Russian newspaper, trying to affect change. The 1861 Emancipation of the Russian serfs is the most significant event here -- though it happens far offstage.