Baku, beginning of the 20th century. Markos Alimyan, an outstanding oilman, has bequeathed all his wealth and possessions to his elder son - Smbat. Once honest and decent, Smbat starts in the business and forgets all his high-flown aspirations feeling the taste of money. Meanwhile the middle son, spendthrift and hard drinking Mikael, changes for the better under the influence of love to Shushanik. Alimyan's neglected son-in-law, Ghalumyan, tries to seize his piece of cake using Alimyan's young son, underage Arshak.—Artak