The escaped prisoner Kolya comes to a lonely hut lost in the forest where grandfather Nikitich whiles away his days. The grandfather hospitably receives the guy, feeds him. The owner and the guest are imbued with sympathy for each other. Kolya tells Nikitich about how he escaped from prison, and the grandfather tells about his sin committed in his youth. In the morning, while Nikitich is sleeping, Kolya leaves the hut, taking his grandfather’s gun.