Yosaf Platonovich Wislenev, convicted in the past on a political case, returns to the county town. He is met by Larisa’s sister, the ex-bride Alexandra Ivanovna, who later unexpectedly married General Sintyanin, about whom there is “terrible glory”. Among those who met was also Major Forov, announcing that he would never marry anyone except his "smart fool" Katerina Astafyevna. Shortly before his brother’s arrival, Larise made an offer to the “Spanish nobleman” landowner Podozerov. Wislenev arrives with Pavel Gordanov. At the Bakharev’s evening, the Gordanov declares himself an adversary of praising the female mind and emancipation, and then meets with former mistress Glafira Akatova, who married rich Bodrostin to help “the common cause” with money, but Gordanov demands that she outwit everyone with “hard labor” "Healed" husband. At night, Vislenev opens a briefcase with money, which he hands over to the Gordans for storage, but sees a female figure in a green dress in the garden. The next morning, Vislenev is trying to find out who owns the green dress he had dreamed of, and, not finding the mistress, leaves for the Forovs. Forova meets the general with her stepdaughter Vera, leaving for the farm, and finds out that at night Vera with a cry of "Blood!" pointed to the Wislen Wing. Wislenev gets acquainted with the priest Evan-gel Minervin, who wrote articles in the past, and goes fishing with him and Forov. They argue about the essence of Christianity, but Vislenev neither read Baron von Feuerbach, nor Renan, nor Chrysostom and declares superiority of benefit over knowledge. He admits that he does not like Russia, where "neither nature, nor people." After a thunderstorm erupted, travelers met old Bodrostin, who took Wislenev away, leaving Forov to consider Iosaph a “mezheumk”. Glafira Vasilievna receives a letter from Podozerov, having read which concludes that he "runs her." Heinrich Ropshin, a "not good-natured" young man, brings her another letter, Glafira reads and, declaring herself a beggar, faints. The narrator “migrates” to St. Petersburg, where in the vinegar of the “Forty Thieves,” new “Landmarks” are selected.
Gordanov, the son of a Moscow gypsy and elder brother Mikhail Bodrostin, quickly realizes that many benefits can be drawn from the "delirium" of young people. He proclaims among his comrades "Jesuit", replaced by "nihilism." Against the latter, the "Old Believers" led by Anna Skokova, nicknamed Wanscock, revolt, and Gordanov explains the new doctrine with "Darwinism": "swallow others so that you are not swallowed." Wanscock, who, according to Forov, is not spoiled by her beliefs, is experimenting, but she is not even able to strangle the cat. Like Akatova, many of the "new" girls, like the Polish of Casimir or Tsypri-Kipri, marry the rich, rob them and arrange their personal destiny. Returning to St. Petersburg after a three-year absence, Gordanov learns from Wanscock that the small newspaper businessman Tikhon Kishensky became very rich, having received the money stolen by his mistress Alina Figurina from her father. Wanscock tells Gordanov the theory of "fresh wounds" that should not be touched. Wislenev is engaged in “prolonged loafing,” that is, he writes articles based on lies and overexposure, but Wanscock brings him the “Polish correspondence” handed over to Gordanov for a possible article. A “dense seminarist”, a neighbor of the Meridians, comes to him and offers to marry the prince's favorite for a certain bribe, but the insulted Visleniev refuses him.
Gordanov, meanwhile, goes to Kishensky and offers him to “buy” a husband for Alina and a father for their children. After bargaining, they conspire and only then find out that Viselev was sold. Gordanov asks Kishensky, a police officer, to arrest Gordanov for a short while and gives him a copy of the Wislenian "Polish" essay. Wanscock, Wisleneva and Gordanova are searched, and Gordanov tells Wislenev that he handed over his work to Kishensky. Wislenev is sent to prison, and Alina, in fear of issuing an article, forces him to marry. The wedding resembles the picture “Unequal marriage”, just the opposite. Wislenev falls into "corvee": writes all the children in his own name, and at the end of the year he is presented with a bill for several thousand. This figure should increase every year, and Gordanov, who does not want to grow his debt, is trying to rebel, complaining about fate. Gordanov is trying to negotiate with Kishensky, and he dreams of a mysterious and grandiose plan. But Kishensky and Alina make up the “thing” and burn the apartment, which contains the documents of Gordanov, who is engaged in a couple with Alina usury. Left without money, he receives a call from Bodrostina and leaves with Viselev. In a letter to an old friend, Glafira’s brother Gregoire, Podozerov describes Gordanov and Vistlenev, because of which he is declared an unreliable and “dangerous” person. Wislenev takes away from her sister the half of the estate that had been presented to her earlier, Gordanov deceives his men and accuses Forov and Evangel's father of incitement. Glafira sees the specter of Bodrostin in a cut cuirassier uniform. Kishensky scribbles articles against Podozerov, while Wanscock writes a note about Podozerov’s theft of Gordanov’s money.
At this time, in the province of Larisa, she moved to live with Bodrostina, who considered her a “dummy”, but encouraged the courtship of the girl by Gordanov who was seriously interested in her, Forov was angry with Larisa, and the generals persuaded Podozerov to fight for her love and seek Larisa’s feelings. Faith joyfully baptizes them and brings them together. Bodrostin ceases to trust his wife, and she tames Joseph, and Gordanova is accepted by everyone in the city. With the help of Ropshin, Bodrostin replaces the will that the husband takes to St. Petersburg. The landowner Vodopyanov or the “crazy Bedouin” comes to Glafira, who tells a mysterious story about the student Spiridonov, reminiscent of some information from the life of Podozerov’s mother. Pozozerov sends Glafira a letter from which she learns that Bodrostina lured Kishensky into the company’s networks and is trying to ruin him. Podozerov catches Gordanov, trying to kiss Larisa, and challenges him to a duel. But Larisa announces that the past is "buried", although he remains her friend. Before the duel, Podozerov receives a blessing from Alexandra Ivanovna, and Gordanov comes to Larisa at night, and Forov notices their embrace. Alexandra Ivanovna writes a confession telling that she got married in order to save the innocent people whom Vistlenev - the "non-natural" man - attracted after himself after the arrest. There she mentions the case when the general wanted to shoot her, but Vera did not allow this to happen. Sintyanina admits that she loves Podozerov, and Visleneva, who exchanged her for “freedom,” only regrets. The late wife of Sintianin Flora, the mother of Vera, leaves the portrait and gives the general a ring. The next morning, Forova says that Podozerov was seriously injured, and a blow occurred with the general who received news of the resignation due to Gordanov’s denunciation of Forov and his father Evangel. According to the arrested, the duel turned out to be a “murder”: Gordanov shot earlier, and when he fled the scene, Forov shot him in the heel. Bodrostina sends Gordanov, still confident in permissiveness, to Petersburg, punishing him to finally lure her husband into a network of scammers.
Sintyanin, Forova and Lisa do not leave Podozerov, but when a fire threatens his house, Larisa takes the patient to him, does not admit the general to him, asks for protection and inclines to marry. Wislenev escapes from the city in an unknown direction, Gordanov, hiding the scandal, leaves for Petersburg. On the way, he meets in Moscow with Glafira, demonstrating his "primacy and dominance." She tells him to look at the image, but Gordanov sees a green dress. Glafira announces this dress in which Flora is dressed in a portrait, “conscience”, and she experiences a nervous breakdown. Having received instructions from Bodrostina to bring Mikhail Andreyevich to the Polish woman, Kazimira, and introduce him as the father of her child, Gordanov leaves for Petersburg. Glafira meets with Viselev and goes to Paris, where he attends spiritualistic seances and extradits Josaph Platonovich as a medium. Larisa argues that there is jealousy without love, and ceases to communicate with Sintyanina, who continues to defend her, Forova, married only after seven years of their life together, uses all her strength to bring her husband out of prison to God. Offended by the denunciation, Sintyanin suspects that they want to bring old Bodrostin to lime.
Glafira monitors everything happening in St. Petersburg from Paris. Vislenev is already accustomed to the role of a lackey, Bodrostina beckons him with his love, wants to “test” and leads to the thought of the possible death of her husband, after which she will be able to remarry. Glafira has been passionately fond of Podozerov for two years now and wants to forget about all past sins. On the way to St. Petersburg, fearing an arrest for debts, Visleniev changes his appearance, and when he arrives in the city, he locks himself in the bathroom and arranges a flood. He is declared crazy, and Alina and Kishensky are released “free.” Under the patronage of Gregoire, Glafira meets an important person, tells him about her “misfortunes” with her husband and Casimira, but finds no support: Sintyanin has already warned this general about possible villainy. The general orders his subordinate Perushkin to "catch" Glafir. Meanwhile, Glafira “exempts” her husband from demanding money for the child Casimira, who was taken to the foster home, and in gratitude he writes a new will, according to which the wife inherits everything. The Podozerovs live unhappily, and after the return of Glafira, Larisa moves to the Bodrostins, Viselenev lures money from Gordanov on her behalf and finally sells his sister. Podozerov is trying to reason with his wife and point out to her true friends, but she answers that she “hates everything” that he loves and runs away with Gordanov. Forova is looking for them in Moscow and St. Petersburg, where he meets Podozerov, but to no avail.
Gordanov and married Lara are married and live in Moldova, where Larisa remains even when Gordanov leaves for Russia. Larisa’s surprise comes back and soon, to everyone’s surprise, settles in Gordanov’s apartment. The Generalsha receives a note from her and, having arrived, she finds the patient. Larisa says that they are soon going to kill someone in the house, and asks the Sintyanin to keep his eyes on Joseph. She shows the general pipe of the furnace vent, through which all that is said in the house is heard. Tragically, Vodopyanov, who fell from the bridge, dies, whose horses, as it turns out later, were frightened by Viselev, who decided to kill, and confused them with Bodrostinsky.
To the Sintyanins, under the guise of a surveyor, Perushkin arrives. The guests gathered at Bodrostin’s name day, among whom Gordanov, Vislenev and Sintyanin, set off to look at the fiery peasant rite, which they perform not far from the estate, in order to, according to popular belief, “burn the cow with death”. Shortly before this, Bodrostina accidentally fills her husband’s shirt with blood-like wine. Lisa admits that she remained Sintianina in the bigamy, but at that time Viselev appeared, in a hype announcing the murder of old Bodrostin and demanding an immediate wedding with Glafira. Wislenev is taken to the station, but the murder is attributed to a peasant riot. Ropshin tells Glafira that a trace of her Spanish stylet has been found on the old man’s body and is blackmailing her by marriage, promising to hide Bodrostin’s first, fake testament. Iosaf admits that he did not actually kill the old man, but only burned him with a cigarette, and blames Bodrostin and Gordanov for incitement to atrocity. Lara disappears, but she, slaughtered, is found by Forov and the father of the Gospel. They are taken to the station and accused of inciting a popular rebellion. Gordanov notes that Ropshin begins to dispose in the house, and they begin to follow him, who injured his arm during the murder. At the dead man's funeral, his hands are untied and spread out, and this frightens Glafira so much that she betrays Gordanov. Vera throws at his feet found in the forest and for a long time, according to Bodrostina, his stylet.
Gordanov is arrested and amputated a hand suffering from "Antonov fire". Ropshin promises money, and he shuts off Glafira, and after that he is poisoned. Bodrostina marries Ropshin, who turned out to be cruel and mean. He lives on the money of the good Forov. Found guilty Vislenev lives in a madhouse and is quite happy with his position. Vera and Katerina Afanasevna, who, in the opinion of the generals, “accomplished everything“ earthly, ”die. Sintyanin before his death bequeaths to his wife Podozerova. Forov is present at their wedding, unsuccessfully trying to marry the “most excellent person” Wanscock. A year later, the Podozerovs are visited by Father Evangel with a message about the death of Forov. He is sure that everything that happens "on the knives" is the prologue of something more that must irresistibly come.
