Russian author Leo Tolstoy's 1872 short story "God Sees the Truth, But Waits" is about a young merchant who is sent to a Siberian prison camp for a murder he didn't commit. After putting his faith in God, the merchant spends twenty-six years in prison, only to find himself face to face with the man who framed him. The murderer asks the merchant for forgiveness, which the merchant grants as both men weep. Free from carrying the burden of his resentment, the merchant dies shortly thereafter.
Tolstoy published the story in the years between the releases of his novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, which many critics consider to be among the best novels ever written. A parable about injustice, faith, acceptance, and forgiveness, "God Sees the Truth, But Waits" continues to be read and studied nearly a century and a half after it was written.
The story has been adapted for television, radio, and film. Critics have noted similarities between "God Sees the Truth, But Waits" and Stephen King's acclaimed 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.
