Young scholar Andrei, fascinated by haunting actress Zoia Kadmina, is surprised when she sends him a note. The two have a brief scheduled meeting, then three months later Andrei is shocked to learn she has died. He becomes obsessed with Zoia's memory and decides he must find out all that he can about her.

While hosting a game of cards one night, Narumov tells his friends a story about his grandmother, a Countess. As a young woman, she had once incurred an enormous gambling debt, which she was able to erase by learning a secret that guaranteed that she could win by playing her cards in a certain order. One of Narumov's friends, German, has never gambled, but he is intrigued by the story about the Countess and her secret. He soon becomes obsessed with learning this secret from her, and he starts by courting her young ward Lizaveta, hoping to use her to gain access to the Countess.

A man in love with a married woman plans to kill her husband. By mistake he kills her brother, and is haunted by the ghost of the murdered brother.

The waiter Antosha is in love with the restaurant owner's daughter. This distracts Antosha from his work and the owner is going to fire him. The notary appears and informs the owner that Antosha is receiving a large inheritance. He sets up a three-year contract with Antosha which, In the event of its early termination, the owner receives a large amount. Drunk, Antosha signs the contract, and the next day he becomes rich. Antosha wants to quit right away, but after seeing the contract, he remains to work. At night, he leads the luxurious life of a rich man. The owner of the restaurant is trying this way and that to fire Antosha. But he manages not only to avoid being fired, but also to marry his daughter.

A conductor is haunted by hallucinations during a performance of Camille Saint-Saëns's Danse macabre.