The narration is conducted on behalf of the plumber Grigory Ivanovich. He tells what his passion for the aristocrat led him to. He advises not to mess with them, since he himself had this unpleasant experience:

I, my brothers, do not like women who are in hats. If a woman in a hat, if the stockings on her are fildecos, or a pug in her hands, or a golden tooth, then such an aristocrat is not a woman to me at all, but a smooth place.

The narrator meets such a woman in a meeting in the courtyard of the house. After that, Grigory Ivanovich often starts visiting her room, allegedly in the case: to ask if everything is in order with the water supply and the restroom. The lady gets used to visits, becomes more sociable. After some time, they are already walking along the street, while it’s embarrassing for Grigory Ivanovich to go arm in arm with her.

Once an aristocrat asks his admirer to take her to the theater. The next day, Grigory Ivanovich receives two tickets to the opera: one allocates a lump, and the second donates Vaska the locksmith. Tickets are not in neighboring places. Grigory Ivanovich sits at the gallery and misses until the intermission.

During the intermission, the aristocrat goes to the buffet. Seeing that she is looking at cakes, Grigory Ivanovich offers her one thing, promises to pay. A satisfied aristocrat takes a cream cake, then two more.Grigory Ivanovich has little money, but he is ashamed to admit it. According to his calculations, he is barely enough for three cakes, so he is trying to distract the lady from eating treats, but the aristocrat takes a fourth cake. Then Grigory Ivanovich doesn’t stand it and says: “Lie back!” The lady is frightened, but the angry Grigory Ivanovich realizes that now he will not be able to meet with the aristocrat. The lady has to fulfill his order.

Grigory Ivanovich asks the barman how much he needs to pay, for which he calmly voices the amount. Outraged, Grigory Ivanovich states that the fourth cake has not yet been eaten. The owner objects that the cake is wrinkled and bitten. People gathered in the buffet argue whether there is a bite or not.

As a result, Grigory Ivanovich pays for four cakes. Some man, seeing that the lady will not eat the last cake, eats it, which makes Grigory Ivanovich even more upset. Since then, a plumber with aristocrats is no longer found.