After wandering around the world for a long time, Vladimir Dubrovsky returns to the Russian Empire with a new name and a new face, now he is a mysterious foreigner — Don Diego de la Vega. Arriving in Kistenevka, Dubrovsky sees that the arbitrariness of the landlords reigns in his native lands, and robbers are rampaging on the roads, hiding behind the name of Dubrovsky. There, the hero meets his former lover Masha and finds himself embroiled in a dangerous game against the family of the cruel Kirila Petrovich Troekurov, with whom Dubrovsky has old scores.