On a golden morning of a hot, stuffy, dusty Trinity day, he walks along the road to the glorious village of Celebeev, Daryalsky, well, the very one who had been filming Fedorov’s hut for two years and often went to his friend, Celebeev’s summer clerk Schmidt, who spends days and nights reading philosophical books . Now Daryalsky lives in neighboring Gugolev, and her granddaughter Katya, his bride, lives on the estate of Baroness Todrabe-Graaben. For three days, as they got engaged, although the old baroness did not like the simpleton and the Darial lord. Daryalsky goes to the Celebeyevsky church past the pond - the water in it is clear, blue, - past the old birch on the shore; drowning with his eyes in shining - through the bowed branches, through the sparkling tow of a spider - deep heavenly blue. Good! But a strange fear creeps into the heart, and the head is spinning from the abyss of blue, and the pale air, if you look closely, is completely black.

In the temple - the smell of incense, mixed with the smell of young birches, peasant sweat and greasy boots. Daryalsky prepared to listen to the service - and suddenly he saw: a woman in a red scarf was watching him intently, her face was bloodless, white, all in mountain ash. A pockmarked woman, a werewolf hawk penetrates his soul, with a quiet laugh and sweet peace enters his heart ... Everyone has already left the church. A woman in a red scarf comes out, followed by the carpenter Kudeyarov. Strange as he looked at Daryalsky, alluring and cold, and went with a woman's pockmarked, his worker. Hiding in the depths of the log is the hut of Mitri Mironovich Kudeyarov, a joiner. He makes furniture, and they order from Likhov and from Moscow. He works during the day, in the evenings he goes to the priest Vukol - the carpenter is read in the scripture - and at night a strange light comes through the shutters of the Kudeyarovskaya hut - either he prays, or the carpenter pardons with his worker Matrena, and the wanderers walk along the paths trodden into the carpenter’s house come ...

It is not in vain that, evidently, Kudeyar and Matrena prayed at night, their Lord blessed them to become the head of a new faith, a pigeon, rush, spiritual, which is why their consent was called the consent of the Dove. And a faithful brotherhood had already appeared in the neighboring villages and in the city of Likhov, in the house of the richest flour mill Luka Silych Yeropegin, but for the time being he did not reveal himself to Kudeyar pigeons. Faith pigeon was to manifest itself In a certain sacrament, a spiritual child was to be born into the world. But for that there was a need for a man who was able to take upon himself the fulfillment of these sacraments. And Kudeyar's choice fell on Daryalsky. On Spirits the day, together with the poor Abram, the messenger of Likhov pigeons, Kudeyar came to Likhov, to the house of the merchant Yeropegin, to his wife Fekla Matveevna. Luka Silych himself was away for two days and did not know that his house had turned into a pigeon parish, he only felt that something was wrong in the house, rustling, whispering settled in it, but it became empty from the sight of Fekla Matveevna, a moron woman , "Aunts-nonsense." He was growing weak in the house and becoming weak, and the drug, which his wife secretly poured into his tea in the hands of a carpenter, apparently did not help.

By midnight, a dove brethren gathered in the bathhouse, Fekla Matveevna, Annushka-dovecote, her housekeeper, old Likhovsky old women, bourgeoisie, medic Sukhorukov. The walls are decorated with birch branches, the table is covered with a turquoise satin with a red velvet heart sewn in the middle, tormented by a silver beaded dove - a hawk came out of a dove with a beak; above the tin lamps shone a hoisted heavy silver dove. He reads the joiner of prayer, turns around, stretches his hands over the tidied table, spins in a round dance of the brethren, revives a dove on a pole, zakulitsya, flies to the table, claws atlas and pecks raisins ...

Daryal spent the day in Celebeev. At night, he returns to Gutolevo through the forest, wanders, wanders, seized by nightly fears, and as if he sees wolf eyes in front of him, the wry eyes of Matryona, the witch pockmarked. “Katya, my clear Katya,” he mutters, flees from obsession.

Katya waited all night for Daryal, ashen curls fell down on a pale face, blue circles under her eyes were clearly visible. And the old baroness closed herself in proud silence, angry with her granddaughter. They drink tea in silence, the old footman Evseich serves. And Daryalsky comes in easy and calm, as if there were no yesterday and trouble came. But this lightness is deceiving, the spiritual depth, blown up by the woman’s gaze, walking, will wake up, will be dragged into the abyss; passions will break out ...

The three, as if a black big bush with a bloomed bell, furiously swept out of the lozines and froze at the porch of the baronessian house. General Chizhikov - the one who commits for merchants and who they talk about as if he was not Chizhikov, but the agent of the third division Matvey Chizhov - and Luka Silych Yeropegin came to the Baroness. “Why are the guests here,” Daryalsky thinks, looks out the window, “another figure is approaching, an absurd creature in a gray felt hat on a small, as if flattened head. A classmate of his Semyon Chuholka, he always appeared in bad days for Darial. Eropegin presents the baroness with a bill, says that her securities are no longer worth anything, she requires payment. The baroness is ruined. Suddenly, a strange creature with an owl nose grows in front of her - Chuolka. “Get out!” The baroness shouts, but Katya is already at the door, and Daryalsky steps up in anger ... A slap clicked loudly in the air, the baronessine's hand clenched on Peter's cheek ... It seemed that the earth had fallen between these people and all rushed into a gaping abyss. Daryalsky says goodbye to his beloved place, his foot will never set foot here. In Celebeev, Daryal, staggers, drinks, about Matryona, a carpenter worker, asks. Finally, at the old hollow oak I met her. She glanced sideways, invited me to come in. And another person is already going to the oak. Beggar Abram with a tin dove on a staff. Talks about pigeons and faith pigeon Darial. “Your self,” replies Daryalsky.

Luka Silych Eropegin was returning to Likhov, home, dreaming of the charms of Annushka, his housekeeper. He stood on the platform, he all looked askance at the elderly gentleman, dry, lean, his back was slender, straight, like that of a young man. On the train, a gentleman, Pavel Pavlovich Todrabe-Graaben, introduced himself to the senator, arrived in the case of his sister, Baroness Graaben. No matter how Luka Silych bustles, he understands that he can’t get along with the senator and can’t see the baronessian money. Frowning approaches the house, and the gates are locked. Sees Eropegin: wrong in the house. He let go of his wife, who wanted to go to Celebey’s pestilence, he went around the rooms and found pigeon pleasures in his chest: vessels, long, floor-length shirts, a piece of satin with a silver pigeon tormenting his heart. Anushka-dovecote enters, hugs gently, promises to tell everything at night. And at night, the potion mixed into his glass, Eropegin's blow was enough, he lost his speech.

Katya with Evseich sends letters to Celebeevo, - Daryalsky is hiding; Schmidt, living in his country house among philosophical books, on astrology and Kabbalah, on secret wisdom, looks at the Daryalsky horoscope, says that he is in danger; Pavel Pavlovich calls from the Asian abyss back to the west, to Gugolevo - Daryalsky replies that he is going to the East. All the time she spends with the woman pockmarked Matrena, they are getting closer. As Daryalsky will look at Matrena, she is a witch, but her eyes are clear, deep, blue. The carpenter who had left home returned, found lovers. He is disappointed that they agreed without him, but he is more angry that Matren is deeply in love with Daryalsky. He puts his hand on Matryona’s chest, and a golden ray enters her heart, and a carpenter weaves a golden tow. Entangled in the golden web of Matryona and Daryal, do not break out of it ...

Daryalsky works as an assistant at Kudeyar, in the Kudeyarovskaya hut they love Matrena and pray with the joiner at night. And as if from those spiritual hymns a child is born, turns into a dove, rushes to Daryalsky’s hawk and tears his chest ... Daryalsky’s heart becomes heavy, he wonders, recalls the words of Paracelsus that an experienced magnetizer can use human love forces for his own purposes. And the guest came to the joiner, the brazier Sukhorukov from Likhov. During the prayers, everything seemed to Daryalsky that there were three of them, but someone else was the fourth with them. I saw Sukhorukov, I realized: he is the fourth and is.

In the tea room, Sukhorukov is whispering with a joiner. This brazier brought the potion to Annushka for Eropegin. The carpenter complains that Daryalsky turned out to be weak, and he should not be let go. And Daryalsky talks with Evseich, looks at the coppersmith and joiner, listens to their whispers, decides to go to Moscow.

The next day, Daryalsky and Sukhorukov go to Likhov. He watches over the brazier, squeezes Daryalsky in his hand with a cane and feels the bulldog in his pocket. At the back, someone jumps after them, and Daryalsky drives the cart. He is late for the Moscow train; there are no places in the hotel. In pitch darkness, she encounters a brazier at night and goes to sleep at the Eropegin House. The feeble old man Eropegin, trying to say something, seems to him to be death, Annushka-dovecote says that he will sleep in the outhouse, leads him to the bathhouse and closes the door with a key. Daryalsky catches on, and left the coat with the bulldog in the house. And four men stomp at the door and wait for something, because they were people. “Come in!” - Daryalsky shouts, and they entered, a dazzling blow knocked down Daryalsky. There were sighs of four stooped fused spins over an object; then the obvious crunch of a squeezed chest, and it became quiet ...

The clothes were removed, the body was wrapped in something and carried. "A woman with her hair was walking in front with a picture of a dove in her hands."