Velchaninov, a proud and self-assured bachelor, unexpectedly runs into Pavel Pavlovich Trusotsky, a peculiar man who deeply unsettles him. He soon recognizes him to be the husband of Natalia, a woman with whom Velchaninov once had a passionate affair. Natalia is now dead. One day, Trusotsky pays Velchaninov a surprise visit. Then he visits him again and again. These visits further unsettle Velchaninov. Soon, he begins to realize that Trusotsky’s return to his life is no coincidence and it may be ill-omened.