Leo Tolstoy had a profound influence on people through out the Western world. Leo Tolstoy was a Russian novelist, essayist, dramatist and philosopher. Tolstoy was a member of the aristocratic Tolstoy family. He was known as an educational reformer, pacifist and Christian anarchist. His masterpiece War and Peace made him one of the world's greatest novelists. His ability to depict life in 19th century Russia made him a leader in realist fiction. Tolstoy's stand on nonviolent resistance influenced twentieth century people such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Ghandi. A landowner named Vasili Andreevich Brekhunov takes along one of his peasants, Nikita, for a short journey to the house of the owner of a forest. The master is in a hurry and become lost in the middle of a blizzard, but the master in his avarice wishes to press on. The peasant is dying from exposure to the cold. The master lies on the servant saving his life.