Vaska easoff (Haggyállógva vaszka)

Vaska, despite his tender years, is the Great Thief of St Petersburg. He shares his home with Luvnia, near the former palace of the counts Sheremetyev. One morning he sees a funeral procession making its way up the street. The coffin is being battered by an angry crowd of "mourners": its occupant has departed this world owing them one thousand roubles. Vaska steps in, pays off the crowd and sees to it that the departed, whose name he doesn't even know, is properly buried. However, the good-hearted thief is not going through the best of times. His pockets are empty, his Luvnia is giving him a hard time at home. The door of their apartment swings open and a young man, named Vanka, steps in. And so begins their strange and wonderful adventure.