I go to the prison church on a feast day together with maman and Alexandra Lvovna Lei. Here we meet the “Madmazel” Gorshkova and her little students.

I read about the city of En, about Chichikov and Manilov. We go for a walk with the nanny Cecilia, she leads me to the church. On the street we meet a “scary boy” who is making faces at us. I'm very scared.

My dream is to go to the city of En and be friends there with the sons of Manilov. Maman celebrates New Year at the Belugins. There she meets an engineer Karmanova, whose son is Serge. Now I dream of friendship with Serge. We go with the nanny to look at the parade.

Karmanova and Serge come to visit. And Serge turns out to be that “terrible boy” (though he doesn’t admit that it was him). I remain in doubt. Our family moves to the apartment of the Belugins, who were transferred to Mitava. The Karmanovs live in the same house. Easter is coming, guests come with congratulations, among them - the Kondratyevs.

In the summer, the Kondratievs go to camp. (The head of the family is a military doctor.) We visit them. I talk with their son, Andrew. Engineer Karmanova, her daughter Sophie and Serge are leaving for the summer in Samokvasovo. We escort them to the station. We spend summer in a village on the Courland coast.

Returning to the city, we meet with the Karmanovs, Kondratievs, Alexandra Lvovna Lei. We find out that Sophie got married.

In the fall, the father dies, having become infected at the autopsy. Now the apartment is great for us, and we are moving to a new one.

Maman gets a telegraph student. And I am getting ready for the preparatory class, studying with Gadshkova from Madmazel. Gorshkova often shakes my hand "under the cover of a table."

I notice that meeting with the schoolboy Vasya Strizhkin is an omen of good luck. And just before the entrance exam I meet him.

We learn that Sophie was born a boy. Visiting the Karmanovs, I meet my peer, Tusenka Siu.

Maman and I go to the exhibition, then watch a “live photo”. The next morning I get a note from Stefania Grikupel: she wants to meet me. Maman finds out about my acquaintance with this girl and forbids further meetings.

I have trouble with arithmetic at the school. Friendship continues with Serge Karmanov. Tusenka Siu, it turns out, thought that my last name was "Yat", like that of a telegraph operator in the book "Chekhov". Sophie leaves for Libau, where her husband was transferred. Alexandra Lvovna in the form of a “sister” is sent to the Far East, because there is a war with Japan.

The Karmanovs spend their summer in the Shavsky Shrews, we are going to visit them. In the fall, I start learning German. They put me in a punishment cell for an hour because I didn’t notice a calligraphy teacher on the street. I think of revenge.

We are moving to a new apartment. In the summer we go to Vitebsk to the lady who stayed with us during her father’s funeral. Returning to the city, I study French with Gorshkova. I learn about the world with Japan.

During classes, a bomb explodes near the school. Classes are canceled. On the streets there are clashes of rioters with the police. We are learning, then not.

From the Far East, Kondratiev and Alexandra Lvovna Ley returned, who devoted herself to caring for the shell-shocked after being wounded in the head by Dr. Wagel.

Engineer Karmanov, someone is killing on the street. Serge takes an oath to avenge his father. The engineer and Serge will leave for Moscow forever. In the summer we come to the Shavsky Drozhki to the Belugins, we get acquainted with Belugina's sister, Olga Kuskova. A calligraphy teacher dies. I go for a walk with Andrei Kondratiev. I don't like him very much and cannot replace Serge. Alexandra Lvovna marries Dr. Wagel. And I’m still thinking about Tusenka. Although it’s better to call her Natalie.

I get an invitation to spend the summer with the Karmanovs. Serge and I are going to the Shavsky Drozhki, from where, through Sevastopol, to Yevpatoria. Dr. Wagel, husband of Alexandra Lvovna, is dying. An electric theater opens. Alexandra Lvovna wins the lottery of two hundred thousand - the ticket belongs to her late husband. On Easter we learn that a lady from Vitebsk died.

Summer. We are going to see the house that Alexandra Lvovna bought in the town of Sventa Gora. She is building a chapel and wants to organize an Orthodox fraternity.

I'm getting a date on the boulevard. I come, but I see only the ugly girl Agatha. So the lady who made the date didn’t come. I keep thinking about Natalie.

The director offers me to go to the observers of the meteorological station. They are exempt from tuition. Sixth grader Gvozdev shows me what and how to do it. I begin to be friends with him, but the friendship somehow ends.

At the insistence of my mother, I buy a subscription to the rink. There I meet with Stephanie Gricupel. She introduces me to the girl Louise Kugenau-Petroshka. Natalie is riding with another.

I'm going to the Karmanovs to Moscow for Shrovetide. There I meet Olga Kuskova. She's dating me, but I'm not coming. Sophie already has three children.

I am going to give lessons to Louise Kugenau-Petroshka, but I don’t agree in price with her mother. Gogol's centenary is celebrated. I am startled to think about the city of En, Chichikov and Manilov.

A letter comes from Karmanova. It turns out that Serge lives with Olga Kuskova, and the engineer does not interfere with this. The school year begins. Karmanova arrives, says that Olga Kuskova "poorly understood her situation." And after the engineer talked to her, Olga committed suicide. Colonel Scribes makes an offer to maman, but she refuses. In the fall I become a tutor at one fifth grader. I am disappointed in friendship.

The school has a new director. We are going on an excursion to Riga, then to Polotsk.

I'm starting to be friends with Ershov. He talks about his father, who is in correspondence with Tolstoy. But Ershov is tired of friendship with me, and he doesn’t even want to talk about Tolstoy’s death. I meet a peer, Bluma Katz-Kagan.

Someone is killing a school district trustee with a stone. It turns out that he was a maniac and deliberately failed beautiful students. Final exams are approaching. Having sustained them, we receive graduation certificates. I enter a place where they take exams.

By chance, I find out that myopia. Wearing glasses, I understand that I saw everything wrong. I would like to see Natalie now, but she is in Odessa.