Albert is the main character of the novel. He is going through an existential crisis in his life. By coincidence, he goes on a pilgrimage to a monastery. There he stays at a local hotel and becomes close to the abbot of the monastery, Father Dimitri. The abbot sees in Albert a serious young man striving to fully comprehend the way of church and monastic life. But after some time, Albert enters into an ideological confrontation with the abbot, while remaining in the monastery for some more time. While Albert is picking mushrooms in the vicinity of the monastery, he meets the eccentric scientist Herman, who lives in a house by the lake. Herman turns out to be an amazingly smart person; he makes many interesting and educational discoveries for Albert. At the same time, Albert once again encounters Father Dimitri in their moral conflict, and ultimately leaves the walls of the monastery.