Ilya Artamonov, a handsome handsome man, arrived in the city of Dremyov, told the residents that he wanted to build a canvas factory on the banks of the river. Earlier, Ilya served as a clerk with the princes, got the will, they gave him money for good service - he came to build. He has three sons - Peter (the eldest, pensive, constantly pulling his ear), Alexey (funny, hard-working, shirt-guy) and Nikita (hunchback, ugly, caring for the garden, loves plants).
Ilya comes to the main village in their village, Baimakov Yevsey Mitrich, marries, asks to give Baimakov’s daughter, Natalia, for his son Peter. And the village all on this Ilya took up arms - they see that the person is smart, he has come to build something else here, his orders are not the same as everyone is used to.
Baimakov broke, broke, then dying, his wife Ulyana still says that it is possible to marry Natalia to marry Peter. They play a wedding, and Ilya Artamonov begins to secretly meet with Ulyana, because she is a widow, she can not. So they were lovers for some time, but then the village finds out, they criticize Ulyana. But she doesn’t care - she loves Ilya.
The factory is being built, things are going. Natalia’s girls are born, they do not live long, but they need an heir, then the son Ilya is born. The elder Ilya Artamonov dies ridiculously - they bring some kind of car for the factory, while it is being dragged to the factory, a vessel bursts in Ilya’s head and he dies. Peter remains for the elder. The son of Peter Ilya does not really respect him.
Natalya is born a couple more daughters - Tatyana and Elena and son Jacob. They live together, then it turns out that Nikita loves Natasha. Due to hopelessness, he tries to hang himself, but he is taken out of the loop, he decides to leave for the monastery. Leaves.
Peter understands that managing the factory is not his business at all, but because he needs to, he continues his father’s business. This takes Alexey a little, but he also takes part in the management. Alexei has a bride - Olga.
From the content it becomes clear that they are intelligent intellectuals. The children all want to study in gymnasiums, and Peter says that it’s not worth studying, you have to live as you live in the village and do the work of the ancestors.
Olga and Alexei have a son, Miron. Children still leave to study in gymnasiums. Jacob is closer to Peter than Ilya, he simply renounces Ilya. Ilya is the smartest of children. Jacob is stupid, prefers to remain silent and not get into conversations. So they live. Peter, of course, is estranged from Natalia, she is a simple stupid rural woman, and he is hunted by the smart and beautiful. Turns on lovers.
Alex is dying. Miron marries Anna, a wealthy doll girl from Moscow. Nikita is dying. The oldest brother of the three, Peter, remains alive. The first world war begins. Jacob leaves to live in Moscow, where he is beaten, thrown out of the car at full speed, he dies in two days.
The riot has begun, the workers do not want to work, the factory is standing, the farm is running. Pyotr Artamonov is 74 years old. He is slowly dying.
