The subject of the story is the "life" of the representatives of the Stargorod "clergy of the clergy": archpriest Savely Tuberozov, priest Zakharii Benefaktov and deacon Achilles Desnitsyn.
Childless Tuberoses save all the ardor of the heart and all the energy of youth. Beneficial personality - embodied meekness and humility. Deacon Achilles is a hero and sings beautifully, but because of his enthusiasm he receives the nickname of “wounded”. The leader of the nobility brings three canes from St. Petersburg: two with identical golden knobs and one with silver for Achilles, which makes the doubt doubtful. Tuberozov takes both canes to the city and engraves “The Rod of Aaron blossomed” on his own, and “Dade his staff in his hand” on the canes of Zachariah. He hides the Achilles cane under the castle, because it does not rely on him according to the dignity. Achilles' frivolous "reaction leads to the fact that Father Savely does not speak with him. From the time of his ordination, Tuberozov has been writing a “demicoton” book, which records how “beautiful” his wife Natalya Nikolaevna is, how he meets his mistress Plodomasova and her dwarf servant Nikolai Afanasevich, how poor Pizonsky warms an orphaned boy. The last story serves as the basis for the sermon, for which, as well as for the inappropriate attitude towards the schismatics, denunciations are written on the protopope. Achilles is “hurt” by teacher Barnabas Prepotensky, who sets up experiments on the drowned man. On the day of Methodius Pesnoshsky, when "the landscape represents the simplicity of life, like an overture represents the music of the opera," the residents of Stargorod go for a swim. Achilles riding a red horse says that he took the bones of a deceased from the teacher of Barnabas, but they were again stolen. The healer fears the deacon with unfamiliar words, he promises to “strangle the free-thinking bone” from the city and asks to call himself “Achilles the Warrior”. Valerian Nikolayevich Daryanov comes to the Prepotenskaya gravy, where her son Barnabas catches. He reports that he mathematically proved to Tuberozova “the incorrectness of the calculation of the holidays” and believes that such as protopop slow down the “revolution” and generally serve in the secret police. When mother gives the bones to Achilles, Prepotensky goes to the exciser Daria Nikolaevna Bizyukina, and she gives him a scarf around his neck, so that when Achilles beat him, it would be “soft and painful”. Barnabas returns the bones, his mother buries them, but the pig digs up, Prepotensky fights with Achilles. The conversation of Barnabas is heard by the student of Tuberozov Serbolov, who urges Prepotensky not to upset his mother. Shepherd admits that her son is kind, but spoiled, and while he feeds her horse ham, watered him with plenty of water.
When Tuberozov comes to the mire, Prepotensky takes out the bones, puts them on his head and shows the protopope's tongue. But before Barnabas there appears a formidable deacon, and the teacher gives the bones to the exciser Bizyukina, saying that he is being pursued by spies and clergy. Bizyukina’s husband clicks on the deacon with the jaws of a skeleton, and the protection of Tuberozov saves him from the stone of Achilles. Protopop is afraid that “bad people” will be able to take advantage of this story. Achilles leads to the archpriest Danilk, who claims that the long-awaited rain passed only due to nature. The Protopop expels the heretical Danilka and calls on Achilles not to rage. But the deacon is “impossible to tolerate,” and in his “joy” he relies only on strength, explaining to Danilka that he punished him according to “Christian duty”. Petty bourgeois believe that Danilka only repeats the words of the truly deserving Barnabas punishment.
In the name day of the correctional officer, a fruit-dwarf dwarf arrives with his sister. Nikolai Afanasevich tells how the late mistress “comforter” Marfa Andreevna lets his whole family go free and thereby “hardens” how he wants to marry Nikolai Afanasevich on a dwarf chukhonka and bargains with her mistress as “Karla Nikolavra” meets and talks with sovereign himself. Father Protopop admits to the leader Tuganov that life without ideals, faith and reverence for the ancestors will destroy Russia, and the time has come to “fulfill the duty”. He calls him a "maniac." “Unpleasant faces” come to the city — the inspector, Prince Bornovolokov, Bizyukin’s university comrade, and Izmail Termosesov, who blackmail the prince with his “revolutionary” past. In preparation for the meeting of the guests, Bizyukin’s wife, having heard about the tastes of “new” people, throws out all the “unnecessary” furniture from the house, removes the image from the wall, pretends to be a lesson with yard children and even specially gets her hands dirty. But Termosesov surprises the landlady with words about the need for service and the dangers of creative writing in times of destruction. He makes her change clothes and wash her hands, in response to Bizyukin falls in love with a guest. Thermoses vows to take revenge on her worst enemies to the deacon and protopope. He offers Bornovolokov a tactic that will prove the admissibility of religion only as one of the forms of administration and the harmfulness of independent people in the clergy. The auditor authorizes him to act.
Thermoses meets Warnavka and forces the “citizen” Danilka to sign a complaint to the auditor for Achilles. Using the services of the postmaster, Thermosesov orders Bornovolokov to mention him in the letter as a “dangerous person”, as he wants to get a “good place”, makes him sign a denunciation on Tuganov and Savely and demands compensation. Prepotensky recalls Turgenev's “Smoke” and stands for natural rights. Father Saveliy makes up his mind about “conceived”, quits smoking, refuses to testify about the “seductive” actions of Achilles and leaves for deanery. On the way back, he almost dies in a thunderstorm and, feeling that from now on he lives not his own, but his second life, he demands that all city officials come to the liturgy. Education in the city is perceived as a revolution. Thermoses and Bornovolok dispersed. The protopope is taken to the provincial city, and for him not life begins, but "life". Achilles and Nikolai Afanasevich are trying to intercede for him, but Savely does not want to blame, and he is appointed as the accountant. In the name-days of the postmaster, in the heat of a dispute about courage, Prepotensky tries to pull the major's mustache, but makes a scandal, gets scared and runs away from the city. Natalya Nikolaevna, who came to her husband, does not spare herself, gets sick, apologizes to Savely and before her death sees in a dream Achilles, who calls on her to pray for her husband: “Lord, save them with your own weight”. After the funeral, the dwarf gives the archpriest a worldly request for his pardon, but the archpriest refuses to obey, because "the law does not allow it." But agrees to obey if ordered. The prudent Nikolai Afanasevich gets an order, but Savely acts here in his own way, and although he is released, they impose a “prohibition”. On the way home, the dwarf laughs at Savely with tales of the new dog, Achilles Kakvaska. Achilles remains to live with Savely, who practically does not go out on the street, but the bishop takes the deacon to the synod. In letters to Archpriest Achilles mentions Barnabas, who got married and is often beaten, and Thermoses, who served in the “secret” service, but who got caught with fake money. Upon returning, Achilles uses the “empty” words “wu perdu”, “hvakt” and “nonsense”, and claims that there is no god, and that man works for food. After the words of Savely, the deacon repents: "his soul had to be sick and die in order to rise again."
On the night of Tuberozov’s death, the dwarf brings permission from the “prohibition” and the archpriest appears in his grave in full vestment. Achilles plunges into himself, calls the deceased a "martyr," because he understands what the deceased cared for, and utters only one phrase at a crowded funeral: "But they’ll take his own prodigal." Achilles is extremely wounded by the death of Savely, does not leave the house and even accuses the new archpriest Iordion Kratsiansky of "courtesy". The deacon sells all the property and, having decided to build his own monument to Savely, leaves for Tuganov for advice. But there he discovers that he ate the money along with the cakes. Tuganov gives him money, and Achilles sets up a pyramid with cherubs in the cemetery, confirming with all his appearance the "exalted sensitivity" of the deacon. Nikolai Afanasevich dies, and Achilles is fairly confident that "she" will soon come for him and Zakhary. In the spring, a terrible “devil” appears in the city, who, among other atrocities, steals crosses from the cemetery and spoils the monument to the archpriest. Achilles vows to take revenge, watches the “devil” in the cemetery, catches and does not let him out of the ditch all night, freezing severely. “Damn” turns out to be disguised by Danilka, and to calm the crowd, Achilles demonstrates it to the townspeople. Tries to protect him from punishment, but “falls ill” and soon, repenting to the archpriest, dies. Quiet Zachariah briefly survives Savely and Achilles, and during the Holy Resurrection the “Stargorod priest” needs to be completely renewed.
