The action unfolds in nineteenth-century Tiflis, amid merchant families and the everyday life of the city. Expectations of marriage, self-interest, and mutual misunderstandings become entangled in the commotion surrounding Oyinbazov, his daughter Margarit, Makhlasov, and Miamitov. Lively dialogue and the Armenian dialect of Tiflis reveal the characters’ personalities and social customs. Everyday incidents portray family relationships, notions of honor, and the influence of fashion on people’s behavior.