在这部瓦莎剧情片中,第一次世界大战前夕，俄国工人运动风起云涌。60多岁的女人瓦萨精明能干，丈夫日列兹诺夫是个大船主，拥有百万家私。由于多次强奸幼女．日列兹诺夫被法院起诉。瓦萨在行贿无助的情况下，为了家庭名誉和儿女前途，强迫老头子服毒自杀。由于内部矛盾、争权夺利以及荒淫的生活不可挽回地造成了家业的败落。瓦萨的儿媳拉舍尔是个革命者，她为接走儿子秘密回到瓦萨家中。儿媳的到来加深了这个家庭的危机。瓦萨暴病死亡，财产被子孙瓜分...
Nizhny Novgorod, 1913. In the house of the Zheleznov family, children are taught from a very young age to say "It's mine" - my ship, my house, my factory. Members of this family count the money acquired through the labor of others, and can spend it overnight playing cards. They engage themselves in reckless adultery and secretly spy on each other, pray and take part in shady dealings in the name of God. Vassa has it all - money, power, authority and intelligence. But does not have one thing - the future.
