The Dostoevsky novel set partly in Switzerland and centered on Prince Myshkin is The Idiot.
Prince Lev Myshkin returns to Russia after treatment for epilepsy in Switzerland. His openness, compassion, and lack of social calculation place him in conflict with a society shaped by money, jealousy, reputation, and manipulation. The title reflects how other characters interpret his innocence rather than simply describing his intelligence.
The novel was serialized in The Russian Messenger between 1868 and 1869. Dostoevsky had intended to portray a truly good human being, but the plot develops into a tragic story involving Myshkin, Nastasya Filippovna, and Rogozhin.
The Swiss opening is sometimes overlooked because most of the central action takes place in Russia. The setting helps establish Myshkin’s period of recovery before his return to the social and emotional pressures of Saint Petersburg.