In the village of Novoorlyanskaya, where Turetsky accidentally ends up, dark things are happening. Fleeing from persecution by local policemen, he becomes an accidental witness to a conspiracy between a Cossack man who robbed him on a train and a bandit. They discuss a plan to rob a carload of gold. Finding himself between a rock and a hard place, Turetsky sees only one way out. He shares his plan with his savior - the former police chief Volodya. He agrees to help the Moscow “important man”, since he has long been outraged by the lawlessness reigning in his native village. Volodya's niece - a brave girl Lena - saves Turetsky's life by being in the right place on time.