: Sentenced to death for murder, a terrorist never loved anyone. Before the execution, he meets the wife of his victim, who falls in love with him, taking revenge for the death of her husband.

Convicted Koryagin was sentenced to death by hanging. The jailers were amazed at his calmness and refusal of a petition for clemency.

Koryagin came from district burghers. He did not remember his father, and did not feel great love for his mother, especially since in recent years she was sick and was half paralyzed. His mother fed, watered, dressed, made it possible to finish not only the parish school, but also three classes of the district. Mother served as an incoming servant in a wealthy merchant's house, and Koryagin fiercely hated all the rich.

Once Koryagin meets a terrorist Sosnovsky and becomes infected with a revolutionary idea. Sosnovsky believes that Koryagin is a loveless one, and he should succeed.

Relations with women distracted Koryagin from the revolutionary goal, and he focused on his main idea: to force Sosnovsky to give him a target. Koryagin was instructed to eliminate Grand Duke Kirill Romanov.

Kirill Romanov was a brave, but merciless to the subordinates general. He was an exemplary family man, but he loved young officers.

Having carefully studied the daily routine of the Grand Duke, Koryagin improved the moment when the victim will be alone, and the attack was completed.

During the attack, Koryagin was wounded in the shoulder. He was tired of the pain in his hand, the senseless sitting in the cell, he wanted only one thing: so that all this would end. And suddenly, a woman appeared who was no more than forty-five years old. She cleverly bandaged his wound, sat and knitted near his head. The woman turned out to be the widow of the grand duke. She filed a petition for clemency, hoping that the sovereign would not refuse her. After all, the Grand Duke cannot be returned, why take another young life?

The widow carefully takes care of the wounded Koryagin, which causes him irritation. He does not understand how she could sincerely love a man who was a cruel tyrant, drove people to certain death and cheated on her with men? The widow replies that Cyril was a fearless man, the first to go on the attack, never hid behind the backs of others, never won fame and honors for himself, was engaged in charity, and was kind, patient and caring with her and his children. Koryagin killed an impeccable man.

Koryagin is annoyed by this woman, but she has already entered him inside. Why would he have mercy, until the end of his days to be a convict? It’s better to be hanged. Communicating with the widow, listening to her stories about her husband killed by him, Koryagin begins to think that maybe Cyril was not such a monster. But he was used to hating the grand duke, and he was annoyed by the blighted devotion of the widow. He constantly thinks about her, she dreams about him.

Koryagin is led to execution and he realizes that he will no longer see the widow, that her attempts to save him failed. His heart tightens with pity for her. He does not repent, only wants to see her again. Until the last moment, he hopes to see her, but when he realizes that there is no hope, he tries to break free and run away. He fights, scratches, he, bloodied, is dragged to the gallows, there was no such shame on the parade ground.

When they put a noose around Koryagin’s neck, a lady in black sitting at the parade ground in the carriage, pulls out a medallion with features of an expensive face and tenderly asks: “Are you satisfied, my love?”.