Spring 1918. Tarakanov, the steward of Prince Tikhvinsky's estate, with the help of a marquis's former fencing teacher and the little vagabond Kechki, steals a collection of paintings and paintings from the manor abandoned by his masters. Hoping to get it across abroad, the burglars travel with a circus troupe, tracked by the indefatigable criminal inspector, Makar Ovchinnikov.
