Zakhar Psaltyrev went through many ordeals in the royal fleet, where scuffle and bullying of a man became a custom. Only thanks to the natural mind and perseverance, an illiterate peasant guy managed to escape the fate of many of his comrades who had drunk and lost their human dignity. Captain 1st Rank Lezvin, the commander of the cruiser Svyatoslav, panting in the harsh atmosphere of the tsarist autocracy, fatherly loved his messenger for his simple Russian soul, sharp-witted mind, love for his homeland and hatred for oppression. Zakhar learned a lot from Lezvin, but soon they had to part. Zakhar becomes an active underground bolshevik. Years of war and revolution have passed in struggle and peaceful labor. The day has come when the sailor Zakhar Psaltyrev returns to his ship as a captain of the 1st rank and becomes his commander.