After the death of his son at the front, and his wife's demise, widower waiter Skorohodov rents his room to Sokolin, a young man who works as a messenger in one of the offices. The lodger and Skorohodov's daughter fall in love with each other, but an unexpected contender has appeared to the modest young man in the guise of Karasyov, a constant patron of the restaurant, a factory owner who decides to seduce the woman who he has taken a liking to.
