The events take place in a poor urban quarter of the Caucasus around the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Asatur, a gunsmith known to his neighbors by the nickname Hoopoe, lives amid constant mockery, quarrels, and hostility. His violent temper, fondness for wine, and jealousy shape his relations with those around him, especially his wife. The story focuses on everyday family life and on how cruelty and uncontrolled anger can gradually destroy human relationships.