[1][2][3][4] The film tells about the son of a rich merchant Foma Gordeyev, who with the help of alcohol tries to come to terms with the injustice of our world.
[5] The wealthy Volga merchant Ignat Gordeyev celebrates the birth of his son and heir, Foma, but his joy is overshadowed by the death of his wife during childbirth.
At school, Foma befriends Kolya Yezhov, a poor but brilliant classmate, and Afrikan Smolin, the son of a tannery owner.
After a wild night, his father dies, leaving Foma a great fortune, which fails to bring him happiness or peace.
Reduced to a vagrant, he ends up in a soup line at a charity home built with his father’s money, a broken man at the bottom of society.