The chairman of the factory committee of one of the Leningrad factories, Fyodor Gorbachev, a weak-willed man who was unable to completely overcome his petty-proprietor psychology, is visited from the village by his brother Sergei, a former kulak and trader. His arrival brings quarrels and discord into the friendly Gorbachev family. At Fyodor's request, the factory director hires Sergei, but demands a favor in return.