It is the tale of two lovers that belong to different social classes[4] which in this case is a young nobleman and a poor peasant girl.

Two years later, while Liza is selling lily-of-the-valley flowers, she meets a handsome, rich man named Erast.

Two months later, when Liza comes to the city, she discovers the truth: in the army, he lost all his money in gambling, and married a rich widow to escape his debt.

[9] As time went on, however, it became an object of mockery, with authors like Pushkin making parodic usage of the name Liza in Queen of Spades and "Mistress-Turned-Maid".

"Poor Liza" was first translated into English in 1803, when it appeared in a collection titled Russian Tales by Nicolai Karamsin.