The rich and noble gentleman Kirila Petrovich Troekurov lives in his estate Pokrovskoye. Knowing his strong temper, all the neighbors are afraid of him, except for the poor landowner Andrei Gavrilovich Dubrovsky, a retired lieutenant of the guard and a former colleague of Troekurov. Both are widowers. Dubrovsky has a son, Vladimir, who serves in St. Petersburg, and Troekurov has a daughter, Masha, who lives with her father, and Troekurov often talks about his desire to marry children.
An unexpected quarrel quarrels friends, and Dubrovsky’s proud and independent behavior alienates them even more. Autocratic and omnipotent Troekurov, in order to remove irritation, decides to deprive Dubrovsky of the estate and orders the assessor Shabashkin to find the “legal” way to this lawlessness. Judicial hook takers fulfill Troyekurov’s desire, and Dubrovsky is summoned to the Zemstvo judge to resolve the case.
In the judicial session, in the presence of litigants, a decision is read, executed by legal incidents, according to which the estate of Dubrovsky Kistenevka becomes the property of Troekurov, and a fit of insanity happens with Dubrovsky.
Dubrovsky’s health is deteriorating, and the serf woman Egorovna, who was following him, writes a letter to Petersburg to Vladimir Dubrovsky with a notification about what happened. Having received the letter, Vladimir Dubrovsky exhausts his vacation and goes home. Dear coachman tells him about the circumstances of the case. At home, he finds a sick and decrepit father.
Andrei Gavrilovich Dubrovsky is slowly dying. Tormented by conscience, Troekurov goes to put up with Dubrovsky, who at the sight of the enemy is defeated by paralysis. Vladimir ordered that Troekurov be handed over so that he could get out, and at that moment old Dubrovsky would die.
After Dubrovsky’s funeral, judicial officials and a police officer come to Kistenevka to bring Troekurov into ownership. Peasants refuse to obey and want to crack down on officials. Dubrovsky stops them.
At night in the house Dubrovsky finds the blacksmith Arkhip, who decided to kill the clerks, and dissuades him from this intention. He decides to leave the estate and orders to bring all the people out to set the house on fire. He sends Arkhip to unlock the door so that officials can leave the house, but Arkhip violates the master’s order and locks the door. Dubrovsky sets fire to the house and quickly leaves the courtyard, and in the fire that has taken place, the clerks die.
Dubrovsky has a suspicion of arson and murder of officials. Troekurov sends a report to the governor, and a new case is tied. But here another event distracts everyone's attention from Dubrovsky: robbers appeared in the province who robbed all the landowners of the province, but did not touch only the possessions of Troekurov. Everyone is sure that the leader of the robbers is Dubrovsky.
For his illegitimate son, Sasha Troekurov writes out a French teacher from Moscow, Monsieur Deforge, who is greatly impressed by the beauty of seventeen-year-old Marya Kirilovna Troekurova, but she does not pay any attention to the hired teacher. Deforge is tested by being pushed into a room with a hungry bear (a usual joke with guests at Troekurov’s house). Not confused teacher kills the beast. His determination and courage make a great impression on Masha. A friendly rapprochement takes place between them, which becomes a source of love. On the day of the temple festival, guests come to Troekurov's house. At lunch, it comes to Dubrovsky. One of the guests, a landowner named Anton Pafnutich Spitsyn, admits that he at one time gave a false testimony in court against Dubrovsky in favor of Kirila Petrovich.One lady reports that Dubrovsky had lunch with her a week ago and tells the story that her clerk, sent by mail with a letter and 2000 rubles for her son, a guard officer, returned and said that he had been robbed by Dubrovsky, but was convicted of lies by a person who came to visit her and who called himself a former colleague of her late husband. The clerk called out says that Dubrovsky really stopped him on the way to the post office, but, after reading his mother’s letter to his son, he didn’t rob. The money was found in the chest of the clerk. The lady believes that the man who pretended to be her husband’s friend was Dubrovsky himself. But according to her descriptions, she was a man of about 35, and Troekurov knows for certain that Dubrovsky is 23 years old. This fact is confirmed by the new police officer, having lunch at Troekurov.
The holiday in the house of Troekurov ends with a ball, at which the teacher also dances. After dinner, Anton Pafnutich, who has a large sum of money with him, expresses a desire to spend the night in the same room as Deforge, since he already knows about the courage of the Frenchman and hopes for his protection in case of an attack by robbers. The teacher agrees to the request of Anton Pafnutich. At night, the landowner feels that someone is trying to take money from him, hidden in a bag on his chest. Opening his eyes, he sees Deforge with a gun standing above him. The teacher informs Anton Pafnutich that he is Dubrovsky.
How did Dubrovsky get into Troekurov’s house under the guise of a teacher? At the postal station he met a Frenchman going to Troyekurov, gave him 10 thousand rubles, having received in exchange the teacher’s papers. With these documents, he came to Troekurov and settled in a house where everyone loved him and did not suspect who he really was. Once in the same room with a man whom, not without reason, he could consider his enemy, Dubrovsky could not resist the temptation to take revenge. In the morning, Spitsyn leaves Troekurov’s house, not mentioning a word about the night incident. Soon the other guests left. Life in Pokrovsky flows as usual. Marya Kirilovna feels love for Deforge and is annoyed with herself. Deforge is respectful with her, and this calms her pride. But one day, Deforge furtively passes her a note in which he asks for a date. At the appointed time, Masha arrives at the appointed place, and Deforge informs her that he is forced to leave soon, but before that he must tell her something important. Suddenly, he reveals to Masha who he really is. Soothing the frightened Masha, he says that he forgave her father. That it was she who saved Kirila Petrovich, that the house in which Marya Kirilovna lives is a priest for him. During Dubrovsky's confessions, a soft whistle is heard. Dubrovsky asks Masha to give him a promise that in case of misfortune, she will resort to his help, and disappears. Returning to the house, Masha there is alarming, and her father informs her that Deforge, according to the arrived police officer, is none other than Dubrovsky. The disappearance of the teacher confirms the validity of these words.
The following summer, Prince Vereisky returns from his land in Arbatov’s estate, located 30 miles from Pokrovsky. He pays a visit to Troekurov, and Masha amazes him with her beauty. Troekurov with his daughter pay a return visit. Vereisky gives them a wonderful welcome.
Masha sits in her room and embroiders. A hand reaches out into the open window and puts a letter on her hoop, but at this time Masha is called to her father. She hides the letter and goes. She finds Vereisky's father, and Kirila Petrovich informs her that the prince is wooing her. Masha freezes from surprise and turns pale, but her father does not pay attention to her tears.
In her room, Masha thinks with horror about marriage with Vereisky and believes that it is better to marry Dubrovsky. Suddenly she recalls the letter and finds in it only one phrase: “In the evening at 10 o’clock in the same place.”
During a night date, Dubrovsky persuades Masha to resort to his protection.Masha hopes to touch her father’s heart with supplications and requests. But if he turns out to be implacable and forces her to marry, she offers Dubrovsky to come after her and promises to become his wife. In parting, Dubrovsky gives Masha a ring and says that if trouble happens, it will be enough for her to lower the ring into the hollow of the indicated tree, then he will know what to do.
The wedding is getting ready, and Masha decides to act. She writes a letter to Vereisky, begging him to give up her hand. But this gives the opposite result. Upon learning of Masha’s letter, Kirila Petrovich furiously sets up a wedding the next day. Masha with tears asks him not to give her away as Vereisky, but Cyril Petrovich is implacable, and then Masha declares that she will resort to the defense of Dubrovsky. Locking Masha, Kirila Petrovich leaves, ordering not to let her out of the room.
Sasha comes to the aid of Marya Kirilovna. Masha instructs him to take the ring into the hollow. Sasha fulfills her errand, but seeing some tattered boy who is trying to take possession of the ring. A fight ensues between the boys, a gardener comes to the aid of Sasha, and the boy is led to the manor court. Suddenly they meet Kiril Petrovich, and Sasha, under threats, tells him about the assignment that his sister gave him. Kirila Petrovich guesses about the relationship of Masha with Dubrovsky. He orders to lock up the caught boy and sends for the police officer. The police officer and Troekurov agree on something and release the boy. He runs to Kistenevka, and from there secretly sneaks into the Kistenevskaya grove.
At the Troekurov’s house, preparations are underway for the wedding. Masha is taken to church, where her bridegroom awaits her. The wedding begins. Masha’s hopes for the appearance of Dubrovsky evaporate. Young people go to Arbatovo, when suddenly on a country road armed people surround the carriage, and a man in a half mask opens the door. He tells Masha that she is free. Hearing that this is Dubrovsky, the prince shoots and wounds him. The prince is seized and intends to kill, but Dubrovsky does not order to touch him. Dubrovsky again tells Masha that she is free, but Masha replies that it is too late. Due to pain and excitement, Dubrovsky loses consciousness, and his accomplices take him away.
In the forest there is a military fortification of a robber gang, behind a small shaft there are several huts. An old woman comes out of one hut and asks the guard, who sings a robber's song, to shut up, because the master rests. In the hut lies Dubrovsky. Suddenly, an alarm occurs in the camp. The robbers under the command of Dubrovsky occupy specific places for everyone. Arriving guards report that there are soldiers in the forest. A battle ensues in which victory is on the side of the robbers. A few days later, Dubrovsky collects his associates and announces his intention to leave them. Dubrovsky disappears. Rumor has it that he fled abroad.
