The Italian card-playing crook Lukino Fortsa has many creditors who force him to pledge everything he owns. Moreover, if he does not repay his debts within a set time, he will go to prison. Fortsa goes to Russia, his wife's country, hoping to win large sums of money there, pay off his debts and avoid prison. He had already won 80,000 playing with rigged cards, when he met some small Russian crooks (Shvokhnev, Krouguel and Outechitelny). They decide to "work" together. Shvokhnev makes Fortsa believe that a certain Glov, a rich landowner, is preparing to give his son Alexander a large sum of money. The crooks play against the young man and make him lose 200,000 in their favor. The young man signs a bond for 200,000. But this money will not be available for one or two days. The crooks, pretending to have an appointment, leave after giving the bond to Fortsa, who is responsible for waiting for the 200,000, and having obtained in exchange the 80,000 that he had just won. Fortsa quickly understands that the 200,000 will never come and that he has just lost his 80,000...
