In the evening, at the Shumins' house, they set the table after the all-night service. From the garden, through a large window, Nadia saw how the table was laid in the living room, grandma Marfa Mikhailovna in a magnificent silk dress was bustling. Near the cathedral archpriest, father Andrei spoke with Nadina’s mother Nina Ivanovna, they were listened to by the son of archpriest and fiance Nadia Andrei Andreevich.

From the age of sixteen, the twenty-three-year-old Nadia dreamed of getting married. And so she became a bride, but for some reason an ambulance wedding did not please her. Nadia was sad and did not sleep well at night. It seemed to the girl that the rest of her life would pass without change.

Sasha (Alexander Timofeyich), who came to stay from Moscow a few days ago, entered the garden. His mother, impoverished by a noblewoman, once came to Martha Mikhailovna for alms. When the noblewoman died, grandmother, "for the salvation of the soul" sent Sasha to Moscow to study. He hardly graduated from the architectural department of the school of painting, but did not become an architect, but went to work in one of Moscow lithographs.

Every summer, Sasha, "usually very sick," came to his grandmother to rest and eat. For Shumins they became a native for a long time, and even the room where he usually lived was called the “Sasha’s room”.

Approaching Nadia, Sasha started his usual conversation that time is running out, but nothing is changing in the Shuminykh’s house, there’s terrible dirt in the kitchen, and four servants live in the same room and sleep on the floor in smelly rags. It’s wild to Sasha that nobody works here, even Andrei Andreich does not do anything. Nadia, who considered her mother unusually exalted and spiritualized, dismissed Sasha - these words she heard from him every summer, but now for some reason she was annoyed.

They were already having dinner in the hall. Marfa Mikhailovna, a wealthy merchant, owner of the trade rows at the fair, ruled everything. Her daughter-in-law, the widow of Nina Ivanovna, blonde, pulled in a corset and hung with diamonds, completely depended on her grandmother.

Bridegroom Andrei Andreich, full, handsome, with curly hair, ten years ago he graduated from the philological department of the university, but did not serve anywhere. He loved to play the violin and occasionally participated in charity concerts, for which he was called an artist in the city.

At dinner, Nina Ivanovna talked about the hypnotism that she had been fond of recently, and then accompanied Andrei Andreich on the piano for a long time. At night, Nadia could not sleep again. She felt fear, as if "something uncertain, heavy" awaited her. Sasha’s words didn’t leave her head.

In the afternoon, Nadia complained to her mother that she was sad, did not sleep well at night, and for the first time she felt that her mother did not understand her. After lunch, mother and grandmother went to their rooms, and Sasha again began to convince Nadia that she should not get married, but study.

Only enlightened and holy people are interesting, only they are needed. After all, the more there will be such people, the sooner the kingdom of God on earth will come.

Sasha persuaded the girl to leave, to show herself that "this motionless, sinful, gray life" was tired of her. Sasha believed that the idle life of Shumins and Andrei Andreich was “unclean and immoral,” because someone else was working for them. Nadia understood that this was true.

In the evening, Andrei Andreich came and played the violin for a long time, and before leaving, in the hallway, passionately kissed Nadia, spoke her words of love. It seemed to the girl that she had already seen these words in some old, long-abandoned novel.

At night, thinking about her future, Nadia suddenly thought that Nina Ivanovna never loved her husband, who left her nothing.The girl could not understand why she saw in her near, tearful mother “something special, unusual” and did not notice “a simple, ordinary unfortunate woman”.

Then Nadia wondered if she should go to study, and from this thought alone she “was overwhelmed with chill, flooded with a sense of joy, delight”. The girl was a little scared and decided not to think about it anymore.

In mid-June, Sasha sobiravalsya in Moscow. The Shumin’s house was full of fuss — Nadino’s dowry was hurriedly prepared — and this turmoil annoyed Sasha. Finally, his grandmother persuaded him to stay until July.

On Petrov Day, Andrei Andreich drove Nadia to watch the two-story house he rented. He drove Nadia through the rooms, and she was troubled by their philistine environment. Nadia already understood that she had never loved Andrei Andreich, and "felt weak, guilty."

Going out into the street, Andrei Andreich said that Sasha was right - he was not doing anything and could not do it, he was even disgusted to think of some kind of service. But in this he did not see his laziness, but the "sign of the times." After the wedding, he invited Nadia to go to the village, where you can "work, observe life." Nadya felt sick from his empty rants.

At night, Nina Ivanovna was awakened by the sharp knock of a broken shutter. She went in to her daughter. Nadia burst into tears and began to beg her mother to let her go. She tried to explain that she did not like Andrei Andreich and did not want this wedding, but Nina Ivanovna decided that her daughter simply quarreled with her fiance, and soon everything would pass.

Nadia said that her eyes opened, and she realized that her fiancé was stupid, and that her life was "petty and humiliating." Nina Ivanovna exclaimed that she was still young, and her daughter and mother-in-law tormented her, did not allow her to live, and did not begin to talk with her daughter anymore.

Having waited in the morning, Nadia went to Sasha and asked to help her leave.

It seemed to her that something new and wide was opening before her that she did not know before, and already she was looking at him, full of expectations, ready for anything, even death.

Sasha was delighted and quickly developed an escape plan. He will put Nadina’s things in his suitcase, the girl will tell her family that she is going to accompany him, and she will catch the train. Sasha takes her to Moscow, and then she will go to Petersburg alone. After this conversation, Nadya slept through the evening with a smile on her lips.

The escape was a success. Nadia sat on the train and felt that her gray past seemed to "shrink into a lump", and in front of "a huge, wide future was unfolding."

Autumn and winter have passed. Nadia was forgiven; she received quiet, kind letters from home and missed her mother and grandmother very much. Going home for the summer holidays, she visited Sasha. After St. Petersburg, Moscow seemed Nadia provincial, and Sasha - very sick and somehow old-fashioned. He was going to travel along the Volga, and then go to drink koumiss, but it was clear from everything that he would not live long.

Nadia's hometown seemed flattened and covered in dust. Grandmother and Nina Ivanovna were very old, although her mother was still in a corset and diamonds. They felt that their position in the city was lost, and there was no longer "neither the previous honor, nor the right to invite to visit."

This happens when in the middle of an easy, carefree life, the police suddenly come at night, do a search, and the landlord turns out to be wasting, faking, - and goodbye then forever is an easy, carefree life!

Mom and grandmother were afraid to go out and meet Andrei Andreich, but Nadia did not pay attention to the boys teasing her with the "bride".

A telegram came from Saratov with the news that Sasha had died of consumption. Nadia understood that it was he who had changed her life. Here, at home, she is a stranger, and the past was burned and scattered, like ashes in the wind.

Nadia went into Sasha’s room to say goodbye. She was attracted by a new "still obscure, full of secrets" life. The next day, the girl left forever.