A test mechanic at a tractor plant resolutely opposes defectors and fulfilling the plan at any cost.

The action takes place in Naples. A dispute arises between the owner of a small lottery office and the fiancé of his daughter, who works at the same office. The conflict is full of humorous twists and turns. At its core is a trickery involving a lottery ticket that has won a large prize...

Gorky's play raises themes of the Russian intelligentsia's struggles and search for the meaning of life. The characters argue a lot, quarrel, tease each other, trying to change, if not their lives, then at least their outlook on it.