Kolia, an escaped convict, arrives at the isolated cabin in the forest where grandfather Nikititch lives out his days. The grandfather offers the boy hospitality, feeds him, and the master of the house and his guest feel sympathy for each other. Kolia tells the grandfather how he escaped from prison, and the grandfather recounts the sin he committed in his youth. The next morning, as Nikititch sleeps, Kolia leaves the isba, taking the grandfather's rifle with him...
