Kitty’s heartbreak over Vronsky has begun to physically manifest. The family doctor and a specialist consult; the family doctor insists a trip abroad will help. Dolly arrives, upset that her husband remains unfaithful and unwise with money. She is discouraged to find her family is leaving the country, as they are a support to her. Their parents quarrel, as the Prince knows his wife’s preference for Vronsky has led to this situation. Dolly is silent during the quarrel but reminds her mother Kitty could have married Levin.

When the sisters are alone, Kitty is angry at Dolly’s attempts to empathize with her, and angry at herself for being ill over a man who has rejected her. She is so angry she even alludes to Dolly’s unhappy marriage, insisting she would never return to a man like Stiva. Dolly is angry at first but embraces her contrite sister. Kitty says she can no longer enjoy life, and Dolly recognizes her rejection of Levin is part of her torment. Kitty supports Dolly during her household’s bout with scarlet fever, and leaves for Europe as her doctors advised.

Returning to Moscow, the narrator describes Anna’s social world. The “circle” includes the religious Lydia Ivanovna, her husband’s colleagues, and the socially risqué social circle of Betsy Tverskoy, Vronsky’s cousin: people who are not religious and cheerfully engage in affairs.