1910 year. The teacher of literature at the Odessa gymnasium, Vasily Petrovich Bachey, is passionately arguing with the sister of his late wife Tatyana Ivanovna about the attitude of the tsarist government towards the great writer. He decides to read a report on Tolstoy, in which he will tell about his work, despite the warning of his sister-in-law.

The success of the report is huge. Many students come with a request to read it. But the office of the trustee of the school district remains unhappy. The trustee offers Vasily Petrovich an alternative: either he will abandon his convictions in the presence of the inspector and explain the “corrupting influence of Count Tolstoy’s teachings on Russian society” or he will be fired. In response to the fact that Tolstoy is only a writer, not a politician, Vasily Petrovich receives a letter of notification of dismissal under the third article without explanation. Now the Bachey family is in ruin, poverty and utter destruction.

The initiative is taken by Tatyana Ivanovna. She offers to give cheap tasty dinners and free two rooms to rent them. But this venture does not bring good luck.

Suddenly, the son of Vasily Petrovich, a thirteen-year-old schoolboy, Petya, meets his old friend Gavrik. Gavrik lives in the family of his elder brother Terenty and tries by all means to "earn a living." Gavrik dreams of externally graduating from high school and invites Petya to be his tutor in Latin. Also, Vasily Petrovich receives an offer from the director of the private school Fayga. Now he can fulfill his old dream: to go on a trip to Europe with his sons Petya and Pavlik. Before leaving, Gavrik, associated with the revolutionary committee, gives Pete a letter to Vladimir Ulyanov, which must be dropped in Europe.

Sailing on a boat, travelers enter Turkey and Greece, enjoy the views of ancient cities and fire-breathing volcanoes, enjoy oriental cuisine and experience all the delights of a sea voyage, including rolling.

In Naples, the Bachey family gets off the ship and settles in a hotel. While father is resting, Petya and Pavlik decide to send a letter to Gavrik and a postcard to her aunt. Having lost their way, the boys go on a strike of trams. There they meet Maxim Gorky. His son helps the boys send correspondence and shows how to return to the hotel.

From Naples, travelers travel by train to Rome. On the platform, Petya meets her eyes with a girl of about thirteen, near whom a lady dressed in a mourning dress. Now all Petya’s thoughts are occupied by a beautiful stranger.

Having traveled around Italy and Switzerland, the Bachey family returns to Odessa. At the border, they witness the arrest of a passenger of a train who asked to tell his comrades that his name was Osipov.

Brother Gavrika Terenty warmly thanks Petya for delivering a letter and information about the arrested Osipov.

At the school, Faig receives the son of a millionaire cloth-maker, Blizhensky. He was kicked out of many educational institutions with a “wolf ticket” and now again the young man decided to try his hand. Knowing the severity and integrity of Vasily Petrovich, Feig asks him for condescension to a wealthy student. Hesitating, Vasily Petrovich still puts a unit in the entrance exam. In the evening, he comes to him. He agrees with the assessment his son received. Nonetheless, Nearby offers a large bribe to correct the assessment. For refusal, Vasily Petrovich receives a letter from Fayg about his dismissal. The Bachey family is having hard days again. Tatyana Ivanovna offers to rent a farm near Odessa and sell the crop. Seeing the prospect of not depending on anyone, Vasily Petrovich agrees. Having sold some things, Bachey collect the necessary amount for the first installment.

In the spring, the Bachey family moves to the farm, only Petya stays in the city to finish the school year. He settles in the house of brother Gavrik Terenty. Pete is haunted by the stranger he met in Italy. Suffering from love, he decides to pay attention to the daughter of Terenty Motya, who has long been in love with him. Inviting Motya for a walk, he pours out her soul and asks for advice on what to do. With difficulty restraining tears, Motya offers to write a letter to his beloved and wishes happiness.

Lensky execution provokes a strike in Odessa and living with Terenty, who is one of the activists of the revolutionary committee, Petya finds himself in the thick of the revolutionary events that take place in the city.

Having passed the exams, Petya arrives at the farm and gets drawn into the work. To raise money for the next installment, the Bacheys decide to take a small outbuilding. Gavrik leads the residents of Pavlovsky - a widow with her daughter Marina, who turns out to be Petina's lover. Residents lead a solitary lifestyle, and now Petya suffers from the fact that he does not see Marina. He writes her a letter in which he dates. During the walk, Petya confesses to Marina as having seen her at the train station in Italy, fell in love with her at first sight. The frightened girl denies that she was once abroad and runs away. With no letters, Petya cannot pull her out for another meeting. Gavrik, who came to the next lesson, explains to Petya that the Pavlovskys are hiding from the police and Gavrik settled them in the Bachey family, considering Petya his own man. Gavrik often happens at the Pavlovskys with instructions from the committee. And if he hadn’t done things, he would also have courted Marina.

Meanwhile, the cherry is ripening and it is necessary to realize the harvest, especially since the due date is suitable. The Chernoivanenko family comes to the rescue with friends from the revolutionary committee. Pavlovskys also help. During the harvest, Petya meets with Marina. The girl declares his love to him. Having decided to punish her, Petya tells Marina that he has a long-standing romance with Motya. They walked on the steppe, collected snowdrops and even kissed. Petya’s romantic fantasy is interrupted by Motya, who heard everything, being nearby and unnoticed by them. Now Petya can have only friendships with the girls. He pledges not to fall in love with anyone else.

With the help of Terenty, the crop was successfully sold. Terenty asks Vasily Petrovich to give lectures in the revolutionary committee as a token of gratitude, and the committee will gather in the estate on the pretext of working. During the meetings, Gavrik, Petya, Motya and Marina guard the estate. Seeing how Marina takes Gavrik by the arm, Petya is jealous.

Once a person appears on a farm who is interested in a crop. Petya recognizes in him a detective whom he encountered in childhood. Now Terenty strengthens the guard.

The detective does not appear by chance: a representative of the Central Committee secretly arrives from Odessa with directives from Lenin. It turns out to be an old friend of Petit and Gavrik, a sailor from the Battleship Potemkin Rodion Zhukov. Zhukov brought to the farm.

During the meeting, police appear and the warned Pavlovsky and Zhukov are hiding. Seeing that people are working in the garden, as well as listening to the lectures of the teacher, the police leave.

The fugitives return to the farm. Sitting next to Marina, Petya hardly restrained himself so as not to confess her love.