Dr. Vladimir Bomgard leads a team at the fictional Muryevo Hospital in
Russia. The team consists of Pelageya Ivanovna (
Rosie Cavaliero), a junior
midwife; Demyan Lukich (
Adam Godley), a
feldsher; and Anna Nikolayevna (
Vicki Pepperdine), a senior midwife. The typical episode follows the team in their attempts to treat patients' illnesses. Bomgard contends with the uneducated populace, which refuses his treatment. He regularly provides them with rapid and accurate diagnoses. Bomgard has a physical relationship with Pelageya. In the third episode, they have sex for the first time. In the second series, they try being a couple, and make their relationship work. In the sixth episode, Bomgard tells Pelageya he never loved her, and they separate. ''A Young Doctor's Notebook'' is set in the fictional town of Muryevo, Korobovo in
Russia. The first series takes place in the year 1917 during the
Russian Revolution, and the second series takes place in the following year during the
Russian Civil War. The programme also takes place in the years 1934 and 1935. The show's main character reads his old diary and recalls his experiences, interjecting himself into the story of his younger self. The doctor interacts with his younger self, having conversations that reveal aspects of the story yet to unfold. In the second series, the
Russian Civil War begins to affect the fictional Muryevo Hospital, as an influx of wounded soldiers from both the
Bolsheviks and the
White Guard arrive for treatment. Meanwhile, the young doctor is battling an all-encompassing morphine addiction. His older self stands watch over him, and a young aristocrat named Natasha arrives in the hospital. The young doctor takes an intense, destructive interest in Natasha. At the same time, the Feldsher takes a romantic interest in a tall, moustached Colonel of the
White Guard, who is also staying in the hospital. They are both fond of each other, and share a love for pickled sprats. At one point, the Feldsher is seen bringing him a bouquet of flowers. The Colonel reciprocates. A significant plot element is Bomgard's use of
morphine to manage both his psychological pain caused by living in a
remote and isolated community, and his severe
abdominal pain of unclear origin (although Bomgard suggested it was possibly an ulcer or appendicitis). When he has no access to morphine, he occasionally
self-medicates with
cocaine. Bomgard also frequently
chain smokes when he is on medical duty. In the first series finale, the young doctor reacts to
mercy killing by taking morphine, and his addiction recurs. At the close of the first series finale, the young doctor begins to hallucinate. His addiction leads to conflicts with Pelageya. In the last episode, the young doctor admits he is addicted to morphine, describing himself as a "hopeless addict". In the first series, the older doctor is under investigation for writing false prescriptions for
morphine for himself, before he attempts suicide via overdose, and is incarcerated as a result. At the opening of the second series premier, the older and rehabilitated Doctor Bomgard is released from a mental institution, with his addiction under control. The young doctor is constantly reminded of the former doctor Leopold Leopoldovich's austere presence through comments comparing them by the midwives, and the several large, foreboding portraits of Leopold sporting a huge beard on the walls of the medical practice. The young doctor often feels insecure and inadequate when faced with Leopoldovich's reputation and skills, which grows into resentful annoyance. ==Cast==