General (now Field Marshal) Kutuzov awaits the Tsar in Vilnius. Kutuzov knows that his monarch is unhappy at his earlier failure to counterattack. Also, he opposes unnecessary bloodshed. He is invited to kneel before his emperor, be touched on the shoulder with the royal sword, and receive the Order of St George around his neck. However, the old soldier holds out his arms and the two men embrace. Kutuzov's shoulders heave in a sob.
