The boring old man, Naum Krechetov, comes to his son-in-law to stockpile firewood together. The son-in-law, Ivan Diagtyrev, grumbles, but nevertheless he is going, and together they go to the forest.

The horse is ruled by Naum, and Ivan is dozing in a sleigh. Five wolves come out to meet them from the forest. The father-in-law is seized with panic, he turns the horses around and tries to get away from wild animals, preserving the cattle. Wolves chase.

The frightened horse of Diagtyrev cannot keep up with Krechetov. Ivan begins to whip the wolf leader. A person understands that they face imminent death, since both axes are in the sleigh of the father-in-law. Ivan shouts to Nahum to throw an ax at him. Krechetov, trying to escape, trying to escape, but after persistent demands to give an ax, still throws one to the sidelines.

Ivan jumps to the ax, but at that moment the leader of the pack kills the horse and begins to devour him. The remaining members of the pack join the bloody feast, not paying any attention to Ivan Diagtyrev. It saves his life.

Ivan walks away from predators and meets a father-in-law at a bend. Thrown to the mercy of fate by Naum, he longs for fair revenge, wants to beat his father-in-law, but promises not to tell anyone afterwards. Naum escapes, finally telling Ivan unpleasant things - that he is "a damn ogloed, it’s not clear where he came from" and that he was "taken into a strange family".

Having returned from the forest, Ivan goes to the father-in-law to understand. They are already waiting for him with a policeman.Seeing that Ivan was barely restraining himself so as not to attack Naum, who was not at all ashamed of his deed, the policeman leads the man out of the house of his father-in-law. Fearing that Ivan might have done things to his head, the district policeman offers to play chess. Ivan Diagtyrev agrees.