The story is about two friends living in one of the provinces of central Russia. Pyotr Vasilyevich decides to marry off his young friend, Boris Andreyich. They visit a widow, two sisters of marriageable age, and the Barsukov family, which consists of two members: the father and his 19-year-old daughter, Verochka.

Ce synopsis est en anglais : nous ne l'avons pas encore traduit.