In an Armenian urban setting at the end of the nineteenth century, newly wealthy Mikael Melik-Burnutyants turns to public and national affairs. His family—Nazani, Matteos, Hmayil, Mariam, and Gevorg—are absorbed in comfort and European fashions, while Grigor sharply exposes their contradictions. Their household brings questions of national identity, civic responsibility, and public commitment into view, with restrained irony.