Lavrenti attempts to convince his sister Grusha to enter into a marriage of convenience with a dying peasant to provide legal legitimacy for the child she is protecting. Grusha reluctantly agrees to the arrangement for the sake of the child's safety, despite her commitment to another man.
LAVRENTI: I'll tell you what we'll do. You need a place to go, and, because of the child—you have to have a husband, so people won't talk. Now I've made cautious inquiries to see if we can find you a husband. Grusha, I have one.
GRUSHA: But I can't marry! I must wait for Simon Shashava.
LAVRENTI: Of course. That's all been taken care of. You don't need a man in bed - you need a man on paper. And I've found you one. The son of this peasant woman is going to die. Isn't that wonderful?
GRUSHA: It's true I could use a document with stamps on it for Michael.
LAVRENTI: Stamps make all the difference. Without something in writing the Shah couldn't prove he's a Shah. And you'll have a place to live.
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