In the Ural county town Uzle, an event: after a long absence, the young millionaire Sergei Alexandrovich Privalov returns. His arrival brings a noticeable variety to the life of the local matchmaker - Khioniya Alekseevna Zaplatina, "ladies of uncertain years with a faded face." She sees in Privalov a profitable bridegroom and at first marries Nadezhda, the eldest daughter of Vasily Nazarych Bakharev, a major gold producer, in whose family Sergey was also raised.
The late father of Sergei Alexander Privalov once worked with Bakharev in the mines. He was a well-known factory owner, however, living in a big way, he wasted the wealth accumulated by his ancestors. His marriage was saved by the daughter of the famous gold miner Gulyaev Varvara, the future mother of Sergei. Together with his own daughter, Gulyaev brought up orphans, among whom were his favorite “Vasya and Masha” - Vasily Nazarych Bakharev and Marya Stepanovna. When they grew up, Gulyaev blessed them for the wedding, and soon they were married in a schismatic rite. Later, the Bakharevs had four children: Kostya, Nadezhda, Verochka and Victor.
Marya Stepanovna continued to sacredly honor the ritualists of the schismatics that she learned from the Gulyaevs, and was an ardent opponent of any innovations and education, considering it "basurism" and educating practical Verochka in her own way, as well as the weak-character Victor - a typical "sissy ". Vasily Nazarych, on the contrary, defended the education of children and found a soul mate in the eldest daughter Nadezhda. The stubborn Konstantin also turned out to be close to his father, although, having quarreled with him, he left immediately after university as a manager at the Shatrovsky factories owned by Privalov ... In short, over the years, the Bakharevs' house was already "sharply divided into two halves."
Sergey grew up in this family: when his mother died, Privalov Sr. asked Bakharev to take care of his son. Life in the Privalovs' house was unbearable: endless orgies, gypsy festivities and her husband's drunkenness brought the unfortunate mother of Sergei to insanity, and then to the grave. The widower married the gypsy Stesha, from whom he had two sons - Ivan and Titus. But Stesha got a lover - Sasha Kholostova, and in collusion with him killed Privalov, imagining it to be an accident. Then she married a lover, who, however, wasted the last capital and, if Bakharev didn’t intervene, he would have let the factories go under the hammer. Sasha was put on trial, and Stesha took her sons to Moscow. Bakharev, however, took care of Seryozha and “joined the ranks” of his guardians. When Sergei was fifteen, he and Kostya were sent to study in St. Petersburg.
And now, after fifteen years, Sergei is back in his hometown. The Baha-roves accept him as their own son, and even though he stayed at the hotel, he feels at home with them easily and calmly, as if returning home after a long journey. Bakharev hopes that Sergey Alexandrovich will follow in his footsteps and become a gold miner, but this is not for Privalov: he prefers the mill business and is not suitable for the role of a successor to the tradition.
Bakharev's daughter Nadezhda amazes Privalov at first sight - not so much with beauty as with special spiritual strength. However, the girl herself remains indifferent to the bridegroom: she is abhorred by the imposed role of the millionaire’s bride. Meanwhile, the matchmaker Khioniya Alekseevna, having made her own plans about Privalov, settles him in her house: she is still not sure who will marry him, but the neighborhood of the owner of millions leads Madame Zaplatina delighted (even if only Shatrovsky plants remained from millions). One surprises the experienced matchmaker: why did Privalov frequent the Bakharevs and never go to his other guardians, Polovodov and Lyakhovsky, especially since Lyakhovsky has a beautiful daughter. Privalov really does not immediately decide to go to the guardians, although he wants to free himself from guardianship; but each time he, without noticing it, finds himself in the Bakharev’s house and in a friendly conversation with Nadezhda Vasilyevna, hiding his feeling and not trying to get married.
Meanwhile, the guardian of Polovodov, together with the German uncle, are developing an insidious plan on how to finally take possession of Prival's wealth: the eldest son and heir Ivan Privalov, although weak-witted, is “not formally declared crazy” and can “give out large bills and then declare himself insolvent ”, after which -“ side-guardians, a competition is appointed, and the main trustee of the competition ”will be Polovodov, and all other guardians and heirs“ will become pawns ”. But for this it is necessary to somehow remove Sergey Alexandrovich from business, to keep him in the Node, feeling his weak spot. Privalov's eternal weakness is women. This trump card is played by Polovodov, using his own wife, Antonida Ivanovna, as bait.
The success of the enterprise is facilitated not only by Sergey’s weak character, but also by the fact that his beloved Nadezhda Bakhareva loves another person - Maxim Loskutov, a talented philosopher and scientist who was a bit out of this world, who has been exiled for free thought and has now opened his mine in the Urals. The first beauty of the city is also in love with him, the smart, but proud and eccentric daughter of the old Lyakhovsky Zosya. Loskutov chooses Hope, which is why Zosya then falls ill for a long time and very seriously. Privalov, having accidentally heard the love conversation between Nadezhda and Loskutov, falls into longing and, to general bewilderment, hides, "for hours on end lying motionless on his couch." The news of the Bakharev’s ruin takes him out of prison. Vasily Nazarych and Marya Stepanovna suffer bankruptcy “with composure”. They are angry at Privalov for a long absence, not understanding what is the matter. Sergei Alexandrovich is gradually returning to life and begins, to the horror of matchmaker Zaplatina, to build a mill in the village of Garchiki and to make friendship with ordinary men.
Meanwhile, Polovodov’s wife is "courting" Privalov with might and main, while Polovodov himself is seriously carried away by Zosya Lyakhovskaya. Finally, after the ball at the Lyakhovsky, Privalov begins a “romance” with Antonida Ivanovna - and when a childhood friend and a “fanatic of factory business” Kostya Bakharev begs him to urgently “drop everything in the Node and go to Petersburg” to decide “the fate of all the factories” then Sergey Alexandrovich, “lulled by cat caresses” by Polovodova, “who knew how to completely possess him with a soft, supple soul”, sends his attorney to her on her advice.
And in the house of the Bakharevs another misfortune. Nadezhda informs her father that she is expecting a child from a man who “is liked by her and whom her parents hate” (we are talking about Loskutov, but his name is not called), that she does not repent of anything and wants to “live honestly” with her beloved, without leaving to marry him. But the angry father curses Hope and, despite the tears and desperate pleas of her daughter, points her to the door. And the strict Marya Stepanovna “the elder daughter’s flight from home only strengthened in the consciousness of the correctness of the old Testament Privalov and Gulayev’s ideals, above which there was nothing for her.” The name of Nadezhda Vasilievna is no longer pronounced in the Bakharev house, she is "forever removed from the list of living people."
Meanwhile, Khionia Alekseevna has a new “idee fixe”: to extradite Zosya for Privalov, who is being treated just outside the village of Garchiki. Becoming her best friend, Zaplatina sings praises to Privalov, and soon he becomes a hero in the eyes of Zosya. Privalov is fascinated by the beauty, liveliness and wit of the girl, and he hopes that after the wedding her eccentric temper will soften. These hopes are shared by the doctor, clever, long-time friend and teacher of Zosia and Nadezhda Vasilyevna, deeply devoted to Zosia and leaving her after the illness. Inclaims Zosia to marry Privalov and Polevodov, telling her that this is the only way she can save the Lyakhovsky family from ruin (in fact, this is another deft move in the game: no matter how painful Polovodov is to see his beloved Zosia married, he realizes that if something happens Privalov will not be able to file a lawsuit against his guardian Lyakhovsky, if he is his father-in-law). But Marya Stepanovna, who had hoped until the last minute for Privalov’s marriage with her daughter, does not approve of his marriage to a “Basurmanka” - the Polish Catholic Zosa. Nevertheless, the marriage takes place, and both the “floating with the flow” of the groom and the enthusiastic bride are sure that they love each other.
However, almost immediately after the wedding, everything changes: Zosya makes violent revels with people like Polovodov, and Privalov takes all objections as a manifestation of limitation. With grief, Privalov leaves for Garchiki and begins to drink. Fuel to the fire is added by Kostya Bakharev’s message that Polovodov managed to seize the rights to the plants. Kostya reproaches Sergei for his unforgivable frivolity: if he had once gone to Petersburg, everything would have been saved. True, the attorney (lawyer Verevkin, who later married Verochka Bakhareva) is convinced that it will be possible to catch Polovodov by the hand, convicting him of fraud and embezzlement.
Time is passing, new events are happening ... The affairs of old Bakharev "have recovered with the speed that is possible only in the gold mining business." But Loskutov was seriously ill, and he and Nadezhda Vasilyevna, returning from the mine, stopped at the doctor. Having learned about this, Privalov often visited them: Hope still has a great influence on him, he pours out her soul, at her insistence, stops drinking. She is very sorry for this kind and not stupid, but weak-character person who has become "a victim of her, Privalov’s, millions," but she feels that Sergei Alexandrovich is not saying anything ... He really continues to hide his love for her.
The doctor prescribes rest to Loskutov, fresh air, moderate physical work, and all this can be found in Garchik, where Privalov has a mill. And Sergey Alexandrovich gladly agrees to settle Loskutov there with Nadezhda and their daughter, since there is a suitable outbuilding. Although Nadezhda Vasilievna is embarrassed by this proposal, she is afraid to get closer to Privalov, she feels fine in the village: she takes care of the patient, who is already starting to go crazy with Loskutov, and little by little helps the women in labor, and educates local children.
Fortunately, the attorney manages to “squeeze” Polovodov, convicting him of embezzlement. Privalov "decided to go to Petersburg himself to transfer the matter to the Senate." He immediately receives the news that his wife Zosya fled abroad with Polovodov. A doctor who loves Zosia is killed by this news, Privalov understands that he never loved his wife ... But Loskutov is getting worse: he finally loses his mind and dies in two weeks. Nadezhda Vasilyevna decides to stay forever in Garchik, where she "buried her young happiness." At the time of Privalov’s departure to Petersburg, she takes care of the mill.
A year after this, Privalov, to the complete horror of the old Bahar-va, sells the Shatrovsky factories. And from Paris comes the news that Polovodov shot himself under threat of exposure. Zosia filed for divorce, and the doctor goes to her abroad. Vasily Nazarych Bakharev does not lose hope of intermarrying with the surname of the Privalovs, redeeming the plants and making Sergey Alexandrovich, whom he loves as a son, and the eldest daughter happy. Bakharev comes to Nadezhda and sees how pleased she is with her position, her labor, almost poor situation, and her working life. He is completely reconciled with his beloved daughter, he is touchingly watching the granddaughter, but Nadezhda has a vague feeling that his father came not only for reconciliation. In fact, Vasily Nazarych almost with tears in his eyes asks his daughter to marry Privalov, saying that he always loved her and, perhaps because of her, made all his mistakes. Hope is at a loss, she needs time to understand her feelings, to think things over. “If earlier in Privalov, Nadezhda Vasilyevna saw a“ bridegroom “, whom she therefore did not like, then now, on the contrary, she was especially interested in him, his inner life, even his mistakes, in which the original type was outlined” ...
Three years pass, and on Nagornaya Street in the Node you can meet the completely aged Vasily Nazarych Bakharev, walking not only with his granddaughter, but also with his legal grandson, Pavel Privalov. So "the basic idea of a stubborn old man triumphed: if the Privalov millions flew away with smoke, then he did not let the strong Privalov family die."
