Martin Entelvais, a young Russian with a romantic soul but without purpose in life, is forced to leave his homeland after the October Revolution. His mother, a strict but loving aristocrat, sends him to study in England, where he is hosted by the Zilanovs, Russian immigrants like himself. Martin quickly falls passionately in love with the family's young daughter, Sonia, a moody, provocative, and unattainable girl, whose every attempt to conquer her falls flat. However, the hero cannot forget her and surrender his weapons of love siege, so he devises a heroic and daring, yet reckless and thoughtless act to impress her, hoping to win her over.