In a bustling location, Vukol Ermolayevich Bessudny set up his inn: by day, a hospitable host, by night – a robber and thief. He welcomes wealthy merchants, drugs them with a sleep potion, and robs them on the forest road. Meanwhile, his wife, Yevgeniya Mironovna, waits for her lover, the handsome landowner Milovidov, whenever Vukol goes off on his nightly raids. Vukol's sister, Annushka, is also in love with the young nobleman. The dense forests, harsh customs, merchant bravado, and jealous women… Trouble is brewing!