Eight-year-old Netochka lives in the closet in the attic of a large St. Petersburg house. Her mother, by sewing and cooking, earns her family food. Stepfather, Yegor Efimov, a strange man. He is a talented violinist, but abandoned the music, because the "villain" wife allegedly ruined his talent. Only her death will “untie” him.

Rude and unceremonious, he shamelessly lives at the expense of a woman whom he has defiled, who, in spite of everything, continues to love him. She has long been dangerously ill.

In his youth, Efimov was a free clarinet player with a rich and kind landowner, from whose orchestra left after the sudden death of his friend, an Italian violinist. He was a "bad man," but with features of the supernatural. “The devil has imposed itself on me,” Yefimov later recalled him. The Italian bequeathed to him his violin and learned to play it. Since then, Efimov has taken possession of a proud consciousness of his genius, exclusivity, permissiveness. Without feeling any gratitude to the people who helped him (the landowner and the count), he drank the money given to him for a trip to St. Petersburg, where he could develop his talent. Only after seven years of erratic wanderings in the province, he finally found himself in the capital.

Here, already a 30-year-old violinist made friends with a young colleague, Russian German B., with whom he shared shelter and food. In a friend who lost his technical skills, B. was struck by a "deep, <...> instinctive understanding of art", but depressed self-confidence and "an uninterrupted dream of his own genius." B. worked hard and, despite his relatively modest talent, in the end he achieved success and became a famous musician. The talented Efimov, not possessing “neither patience nor courage,” gradually drank and behaved more and more dishonestly. Friends broke up, but B. forever retained sympathy and compassion for a fellow youth. Soon Efimov married the mother of then two-year-old Netochka, a dreamer who believed in his talent and was ready to sacrifice everything for her husband. Once B. helped an old friend get a job in a theater orchestra. He did not give a penny a salary to his wife and “daughter”, drinking himself and singing friends. Soon he was fired because of a nasty, arrogant character.

Not understanding the true relationship between mother and stepfather, Netochka passionately becomes attached to the "father". He is also “driven” by a strict mother, like herself. The girl is inspired by dreams inspired by Yefimov’s speeches: after the death of her mother, they together with the “father” will leave the wretched attic and go into a new, happy life - in the “house with red curtains”, a rich mansion visible from their window.

When the famous violinist St. Ts comes on tour in St. Petersburg, for Efimov, his life’s task is to get to his concert. He must prove to himself that Sz is nothing in front of him not recognized because of “evil” people, but a great genius. Where to get money for a ticket? Making use of Netochka's blind love for herself, her stepfather makes her cheat on her sick mother, who sent her daughter for purchases with the last rubles. Having given the money to the "father", the girl must say that she lost it. Having guessed the husband’s plan, the mother falls into despair. Suddenly, B. brought a ticket to the concert of St. Ts. Efimov leaves. A shocked woman dies that very evening. At night, the impoverished musician returns, killed by the consciousness of his insignificance before the art of St. Ts., Netochka rushes to the distraught “father” in excitement and carries him away from home to meet her childhood dream, although her heart aches for her dead mother. On the street, Yefimov runs away from the "daughter", who screams trying to catch up with the madman, but falls without feelings. He himself soon ends up in the hospital, where he dies.

Now Netochka lives in that very “house with red curtains” owned by Prince X, the smart, kind and compassionate “eccentric.” She was ill for a long time after the experience, but then a new feeling took possession of her heart. This is love for the lovely and proud contemporary of Katya, daughter of the prince. Frisky Katya initially disliked the sad and painful "orphan", jealous of her father. However, she inspired respect, with dignity reflecting the princess's ridicule over her parents. Netochka’s learning abilities also hinder the proud minx, whose coldness deeply hurts the girl. One day, Katya decides to play a trick on the prince’s evil and absurd aunt: she admits the bulldog Falstaff into her room, which terrifies the old princess. Netochka takes upon Katya the blame and is serving her sentence, locked up in a dark room until four in the morning, because they forgot about her. Excited by injustice, Katya makes a fuss and the girl is freed. Now there is open mutual love between them: they cry and laugh, kiss each other, keep secret until morning. It turns out that Katya also loves her friend for a long time, but she wanted to “torment” her with expectation. Noticing the unnatural excitement of the princess, adults tear the girls apart. Soon, Katya and her parents leave for a long time in Moscow.

Netochka moves to the house of 22-year-old Alexandra Mikhailovna, Katya's married sister. A “quiet, gentle, loving” woman is glad to replace her mother with an “orphan” and gives a lot of energy to her upbringing. The girl’s happiness is overshadowed only by an unaccountable antipathy to Peter Alexandrovich, the husband of Alexandra Mikhailovna. She feels a secret in their unnatural relationship: the husband is always gloomy and “ambiguously compassionate”, and the wife is timid, passionately impressionable and as if guilty of something. She is thin and pale, her health is gradually deteriorating due to constant mental pain.

Netochka is already thirteen. She can guess a lot, but she is distracted from reality by an awakened passion for reading. By chance, the girl finds access to the home library, where novels forbidden for her are stored. Now she lives with “fantasies”, “magic paintings” that far carry her away from the “dull monotony” of life. For three years she lurks even from an older friend. There has long been no trust between them, although mutual love is just as strong. When Netochka turns sixteen, Alexandra Mikhailovna notices her “wonderful voice”: since then the girl has been studying singing at the conservatory.

Once in the library Netochka finds an old letter forgotten in the book. A certain S. O. writes to Alexandra Mikhailovna. The girl learns the secret that tormented her for eight years: already married, Alexandra Mikhailovna fell in love with “bumpiness”, a petty official. After a short and completely “sinless” happiness, “gossip”, “anger and laughter” began - the society turned its back on the “criminal”. Her husband, however, defended her, but ordered S.O. to leave urgently. The fainthearted lover forever said goodbye to the “forgotten” “sad beauty”.

Shocked Netochka reveals the meaning of “long, hopeless suffering” by Alexandra Mikhailovna, her “sacrifice made humbly, meekly and in vain." After all, Peter Alexandrovich “despises her and laughs at her”: before entering his wife’s office, he usually “remakes” his face in front of a mirror. From a humming and laughing person turns into a drowsy, hunched, heartbroken. When Netochka saw this, she sarcastically laughs in her face to the “criminal who forgives the sins of the righteous.

Soon Pyotr Aleksandrovich, whom his wife suspects of love for Netochka, hidden behind her faultless pickiness, hunts down the girl in the library and sees the coveted letter. Wanting to make excuses himself, he accuses Netochka of immoral correspondence with lovers. During a stormy scene in Alexandra Mikhailovna’s office, her husband threatens to expel the inmate from home. Netochka does not refute slander, to be afraid to “kill” her friend with the truth. She protects the girl. The pretender in anger reminds his wife of the past "sin", which brings her to a swoon. Netochka denounces his moral tyranny over his wife for the sake of “proving” that he is “more sinless than her”! Before leaving their home forever, she should still talk with the assistant Peter Alexandrovich Ovrov, who suddenly stops her.