A visiting German entrepreneur, Hugo Pectoralis, discovers the secrets of the Russian character and the absurdities of Russian life. This proves to be precisely the case when calculation, confronted with naive stupidity, proves powerless against it. As usual, three intellectuals at a table, whether today or in Leskov's time, signify the same thing: an eternal and never-ending debate about the mysteries of the Russian soul and the twists and turns of the national character.