In the city of T., on the wretched and dirty Rasteryaeva Street, many poor people live: petty officials, bourgeois, artisans. Among them is the young pistol master Prokhor Porfyrych. He is “of the noble”: the illegitimate son of a gentleman, a police official. But the origin did not make Prokhor’s life easier. Glafira, the mother of Prokhor, was "relegated" by the master to the cooks, and the boy was sent to training as a drunkard master, where he had to endure both hunger and beatings. Then Prokhor tried to conduct business with his friend, but after a drunken quarrel broke up relations with him and began to work alone.
Prokhor Porfirych considers all other artisans to be no match for himself, despising them for drunkenness and ignorance (and these shortcomings are really characteristic of them: the absence of any interests in life and hopeless poverty push a person into a tavern). Porfirych himself is restrained and prudent. He is in no hurry to bring the money he has made to the tselnik. Prokhor Porfirych dreams of getting rich by using universal “half-wittedness” and “overcooking” (from the word “kaby”) for his own purposes.
The old master, father of Prokhor, dies. The son derives all possible benefits from his death: he builds up some of the things and inherits even more than he should. After that, he buys himself a penny for a house from one crazy old woman, deceiving his own mother, as he had to buy a house for her. Prokhor Porfyrych acquires a cook and apprentice drunkard by the name of Krivonogov, who does most of the work for him. Porfirych in various ways profits from the people around him. He buys for nothing the products from those masters who urgently need money to get hangover. He takes away the good-natured and stupid shopkeeper Lubkov (buys cheaper from Lubkov, sells more expensive), does not disdain Porfirych and pandering: he finds a “damsel” for Kapiton Ivanitch, the owner of the steel shop, and for this he gets the opportunity to sell his guns to him at a good price.
In his free time, Prokhor Porfyrych visits his acquaintances, among whom are Yegor Matveich Bogobortsev and state general Kalachov. Bogobortsev is indifferent to everything except breeding chickens. And everyone, including Porfirych, considers General Kalachov to be an unusually ferocious man, while this is simply a misunderstanding. The general is trying to bring at least some orderliness and meaning into life, which causes horror and rejection in his family. He wants, for example, to cut down a little tree that destroys the surrounding garden trees - the wife believes that her husband, in spite of her, wants to cut her favorite tree.
Another “remarkable personality” of Rasteryaeva Street is the military clerk Khripushin, who is known as a “physician” in the city. Actually, he pretends to be a “physician” in order to visit many houses, pass a glass everywhere and have conversations. Khripushin cannot sit at home: a pugnacious schismatic wife drives him out. Often he enters Tomilinsky Lane and visits the Preterpeev family. Spouses Artamon Ilyich and Avdotya Karpovna Preterpeeva economically manage the economy, saving dowry for daughters. They lived in perfect harmony until the wife decided to give the eldest daughter the Olympics to a boarding school. The "educated" girl began to strive for social life, the three younger sisters imitate her in this. Parents indulged their daughters until their household fell into complete decline. However, not only do they have to endure poverty: the young Preterpeevs became the subject of slander and ridicule for everyone around them. With grief, the father of the family begins to drink, gets sick and soon dies.
An official of Tolokonnikov living on Rasteryaeva Street draws attention to the Preterpeevs. He becomes their benefactor: sends food, gives gifts. The Preterpeevs think he wants to marry one of the young ladies. But this is not so: Tolokonnikov simply wants to be awed before him, to be feared. He has little power over his cook - he wants the same power over the Preterpeevs. To do this, he even decides to rent their home. The Preterpeevs in every way appease him, and his treatment of them becomes more and more unceremonious and oppressive. He constantly arranges scenes for the unhappy family, so her life goes on in constant fear of Tolokonnikov. Finally, the Preterpeevs begin to rebel: they invite another friend to visit. Tolokonnikov furiously drives away from them and takes all his presents. The Preterpeev family is once again in poverty, and the Tolokonnikov marries an ugly girl whose main advantage is that she is “intimidated”, that is, she is scared of life to the last degree.
The inhabitants of Rasteryaeva Street are cautious of books. They consider instructive the fate of an orphan named Alifan. Having learned the alphabet with great zeal, he read the book “Captain Cook's Journey”. The book impressed him greatly. Alifan sells peddling small things (and an absent-minded and dreamy guy does not know how to trade) and tells everyone about Captain Cook. These stories make him a universal laughing stock. He is known to be crazy.
But nevertheless, not all education Rasteraevites despise. So, they greatly respect Pelagia Petrovna Balkanova, or Balkanikh, who is very versed in church matters. Balkanikha is a respectable and stern woman. The husband was extremely afraid of her. There is a rumor in the city that he died with fear when his wife found him secretly eating jam. For the widowed Balkanikha, the tradesman Drykin, who became rich in a certain dark matter, got a hold of him. Having discovered an extraordinary mind in the Balkan, Drykin was frightened and married a young Nenila. After the wedding, Drykin immediately "pacified" the obstinate wife.
She became completely submissive, but quietly began to hate her husband. When Drykin went blind, Nenila felt freedom. She does not deal with farming, spends money on outfits and battles her husband. Balkanikha goes to visit the Drykin spouses and quarrels them even more.
One of the residents of Balkanikha is the cab driver Nikita. The mistress constantly guides him on the true path. Each time, Nikita sincerely promises to improve and not get drunk anymore, but nothing comes of these good intentions.
Pelageya Petrovna’s foster son Kuzka is growing. He is "fed and lulled," nothing interests his bored soul. At seventeen, Kuzka is foolish, like a child. Once, Kuzka and Prokhor Porfirych go on a pilgrimage to the neighboring village of 3rd. There, Kuzka drinks a quarter of beer for a bet and dies of habit. And Prokhor Porfirych, on a pilgrimage, finds a bride - Raisa Karpovna. She is a containment of Captain Burtsev; the captain leaves and promises to give one and a half thousand (besides to the crown) to the one who marries Raisa Karpovna. Upon learning of this, Prokhor Porfirych decides to marry. He is very pleased with the bargain. The bride is happy and grateful to her groom.
