The book includes two sentimental stories by the famous writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Alexandra Nikitichna Annenskaya. Alyonushka, the heroine of the story “Alien Bread,” first lives in the house of a rich lady and depends on the whims of her spoiled daughter. Then she becomes an apprentice in a sewing workshop and goes through a difficult journey before finding a loving family. Sonya from the story “In Someone Else's Family”, by chance, ends up in the family of her relatives. Her presence in the house teaches its inhabitants to take care of each other.