The merchant’s daughter-in-law, Olimpiada Samsonovna (Lipochka) Bolshova, sits alone at the window with a book and, reasoning, “what a pleasant occupation these dances are”, starts waltzing: she has not danced for a year and a half and is afraid, if anything, to “embarrass”.

Dancing badly. Mother comes in, Agrafena Kondratyevna: “Neither the light nor the dawn, not having eaten the bread of God, and even for the dance immediately! Mother and daughter scandal, apparently familiar: “All friends with husbands for a long time, and I’m like an orphan! <...> Hear, find me a groom, find me without fail! <...> I already cough like a fly! (Crying.) "

The matchmaker Ustinya Naumovna comes. Lipochka wants the bridegroom “from the noble”, the father — the rich, the mother — the merchant, “so that he baptizes his forehead in the old way”, Sysoi Psoich Rizpolezhensky arrives, a solicitor, expelled from the court for drunkenness. They scoff at him. But the new owner, Bolshov, needs the solicitor seriously: he is considering whether to declare himself an insolvent debtor (the first name of the comedy was “Bankrupt”). Women leave, and the owner with the solicitor delves into this topic. The solicitor advises that all property be copied to the clerk Lazar Elizarich Podkhalyuzin. He also enters, telling how he teaches sellers in a shop to inflate customers “more natural”.

Bolshov is reading a newspaper. In Moscow - a chain of bankruptcies, mainly, apparently - “malicious”, intentional; and each, each failure to pay debts naturally entails the following. "Why, they conspired, or something! .. Here you can’t count them ..." And the merchant decides. The main question: is it possible to trust the one to whom you rewrite your good to hide from inventory for debts?

Podkhalyuzin sends the boy Tishka for the brandy for Rispolozhensky, to whom he has a business, and indulges in thoughts aloud. “I am a poor man! If I take advantage of anything superfluous in this matter, there is no sin either, because he himself <...> goes against the law! ” Lazarus is in love with Lipochka and is already making new plans, including marrying her: "Yes, you can jump from such a pleasure from Ivan the Great."

And, treating the solicitor, he asks how much Bolshov promised him for "all this mechanics," and he himself promises not a thousand, but two.

The matchmaker comes, and he promises her the same amount of sable fur coat in addition - “from the living,” if she discourages the already planned “noble” bridegroom: let him tell him that Bolshov is ruined. Bolshov himself comes home, the panic in the house by mistake: it seemed that he was "drunk." Lazar starts a conversation with him about getting married - he doesn’t directly start it, but, having heard for the third time that Lipochka is “a young lady who is not in the world,” Bolshov takes the bull by the horns. Lazarus is modest: “Where am I with the cloth snout, sir?” - Nothing cloth. The snout is like a snout. ” Of course, to transfer more good not to the clerk, but to the future son-in-law - in the interests of Bolshov.

The house is preparing for the matchmaking. Samson Silych was solemnly set up in his own way, but Ustinya Naumovna appeared with bad news: the bridegroom allegedly was naughty. “Ah, frog him, why don’t we find another? “Well, you don’t look for another one, otherwise it will be the same again.” I’ll find you something else myself, ”says Bolshov himself and knows what he is saying.

The housekeeper Fominishna, Rizpolezhensky, Lazar joins the company, and Bolshov solemnly announces Lazar the bridegroom. Commotion. Sticky just scandalous. “I command, and you will marry a janitor!” - Bolshov pokes at his daughter. “Mama, sir!” You are the son-in-law of someone who respects you and, therefore, has rested in your old age - okromya cannot find me, sir. <...> You, mommy, remember this word that I just said, ”Lazar says after the mistress and, left face to face with an enraged Lipochka, informs her that the house and the shops are now his, and“ your aunt : bankrupt, sir! <...> But what are they doing to me? Raised, educated, then went bankrupt! ” And Lipochka, after a pause, agrees, with the condition: “We will live on our own, and they will live on their own. We will start everything according to fashion, and they want it. ” Here they call “them” and the family celebration begins. And Bolshov announces: “You, Lazarus, the house and the shops will go instead of the dowry, and count from the cash. <...> Only we with the old woman feed, but pay ten cents to the creditors. - Is it worth it, aunt, talk about it? <...> We’ll get our own people! ” The celebration is in full swing. The matchmaker pours wine for the scruff of the lawyer.

Initial remarks of the last action: “The Podkhaluzin house has a richly furnished living room. Olympiad Samsonovna sits at the window in a luxurious position, she is wearing a silk blouse, a cap of the last style. Podhalyuzin in a fashionable frock coat is standing in front of a mirror. ” The couple enjoys happiness. Lipa asks to buy a thousandth stroller. Lazarus is ready. Lipa says a French compliment. Lazarus is thrilled. Ustinya Naumovna comes for the promised. "You never mind what I promised!" - directly tells the matchmaker Podkhaluzin, and she leaves with a hundred pieces of paper instead of the promised thousands and an unimportant dress from Lipochka instead of a sable salop. “They didn’t let a little one out of the pit,” Lipochka spotted out the window. “Well, no, sir, they’ll not let out a little pit soon; but presumably, <...> he took leave of home so "- and Lazarus calls his mother-in-law.

Bolshov had previously complained about his health; "As if he came from the other world," his wife laments. He wants to give lenders twenty-five kopecks per ruble of debt, as he himself intended at the beginning. Those agree (in a debt prison, “pit”, prisoners of debtors were kept at the expense of creditors). But to sit Bolshov, and decide Podkhalyuzin: now money is his. And he refuses with full Lipochkino support. "-I, aunt, I can’t, sir!" God sees, I can’t, sir! <...> - Help out, babies, help out! <...> I, you aunt, lived up to twenty years - I didn’t see the light. Well, will you order me to give you the money and go to the chintz dresses again? - What are you, what are you! Come to your senses! After all, I do not beg for your alms, but my goodness! “We, chum, told you that we can’t give more than ten cents - therefore, there’s nothing to talk about.” Such is Lipochkino’s last word. “After all, I am malicious - intentional ... they will send me to Siberia. Lord If so don’t give money, give Christ for the sake of it! ” - Bolshov is already crying. Agrafena Kondratyevna curses in a voice both son-in-law and daughter. The whole result: “I, so be it, will add five more pennies,” sighs Lazarus. Desperate Bolshov gets up and leaves with Agrafena Kondratyevna.

“It's embarrassing, sir!” <...> Silence! Give me an old frock coat, which is worse off. ” Podkhalyuzin decides to go bargain with creditors himself. Rizholozhensky appears, like a matchmaker, for the promised money, and they treat him the same way as a matchmaker, and even worse: “We must! Also have to! It’s like he has a document! And for what - for fraud! - No wait! You won’t get away from it! “What will you do with me?” - My tongue is not bought. - Well, do you want to lick me? - No, do not lick, but <...> - I ... I’ll do this: the most respected public! - What are you, what are you, wake up! “Look, you’re getting out of drunken eyes!” Rispolozhensky crawls right into the auditorium with shouts: “Father-in-law robbed! And I am robbed ... Wife, four children, thin boots! ” But the last word here is for Podkhaluzin: “You don’t believe him, he is what he said, sir, it’s all lying. None of this happened. This must have been a dream in a dream. And here we open a shop: we ask for favors! You’ll send a little robe - we won’t let it go in the onion. ”