Katya Zubova lives with her father and two brothers. Her older brother, Pavel, works in an office. One day, after receiving a promotion, he went out on the town at a restaurant and embezzled company funds. He is arrested and sent to prison. Her father takes the news very hard, falls ill, and soon dies. Katya is left alone with her ten-year-old brother and without any means of support. A woman she knows persuades her to become a prostitute. Seeing no other way out, Katya agrees. Her first “experience” in a hotel room seems terrible to Katya, but gradually she gets drawn into this sordid life. One day in a restaurant, she meets Pavel, who has just been released from prison. Pavel is horrified to see Katya in such a place. He guesses what she does for a living. Someone insults Katya, and Pavel stands up for her. A fight breaks out; Katya, trying to protect her brother, is fatally stabbed.
