Fyodor Protasov, is tormented by the belief that his wife Liza has never really chosen between him and the more conventional Viktor Karenin, a rival for her hand. He wants to kill himself, but doesn't have the nerve. Running away from his life, he first falls in with tsygans, and into a sexual relationship with a tsygan singer, Masha. However, facing Masha's parents' disapproval, he runs away from this life as well.
Fyodor Protasov, is tormented by the belief that his wife Liza has never really chosen between him and the more conventional Viktor Karenin, a rival for her hand. He wants to kill himself, but doesn't have the nerve. Running away from his life, he first falls in with tsygans, and into a sexual relationship with a tsygan singer, Masha. However, facing Masha's parents' disapproval, he runs away from this life as well.