A collection of short stories that critics unanimously consider the most pessimistic and ruthless of all that Hemingway wrote. The time of action is the Great Depression. And the writer managed to fully convey the hopelessness of that time, paradoxically turning into hysterical excitement. It is easier to call the heroes of this collection antiheroes. The world of Hemingway's stories is dominated by gangsters and professional boxers, singers, prostitutes and surviving soldiers who were unable to find themselves in a peaceful life... Life, love, friendship - all this, according to Hemingway, is not worth a penny in difficult times. What then has value for people who have lost hope?..