The second movement develops the story extensively. The first violinist portrays the future seducer, and a furtive, trembling passage describes the fateful encounter, after which a melodious violin passage suggests the first admissions of love. Tension increases as the tempo accelerates, and the abruptly soft final chord forebodes the future tragic end. The third movement portrays the crisis. A plaintive passage introduces the fourth movement.
Agitated passages depict the murder.
As do Janacek's operas, the work concludes with human dignity restored to both the victim and the penitent. The composition, with its unpredictable changes of texture, color and rhythm, was intended to reflect the character of their relationship as it was revealed in the more than 600 letters they exchanged. The viola, which assumes the persona of Kamila, has a dominant role in the quartet. The movement closes with the opening theme accompanied by high-pitched violin trills. In the second movement the composer contemplates the vision of Kamila giving birth to a son and considers his future life.