Tiflis, in the late nineteenth century. Stepan Rostamyan leads a secluded life devoted almost entirely to work until an elderly man, Minas Kirillich, and his daughter Varvara move into the neighboring apartment. Varvara carries the burden of a troubled past, and her presence unsettles Rostamyan’s ordered existence. The story explores love, personal freedom, family honor, and the pressure of social and religious conventions.