The Lower Depths

A wealthy baron loses his fortune to gambling and contemplates suicide. He discovers his gun is missing and confronts the thief Pépel, who plans to rob him. Instead, they share a lighthearted drink between colleagues, and the two men become friends.

The baron allows Pépel to leave with a bronze sculpture, setting in motion the baron's slide into debt. Creditors seize the baron’s household furnishings as his debts come due. The baron tells his servant Félix that he hopes Félix's stolen wages will cover his unpaid wages, and Félix agrees.

Pépel is arrested for stealing the bronze. The baron arrives at the station and identifies Pépel as a 'dear friend', complicating the police narrative and binding the two together in complicity.

The story shifts to life in the slums, where men argue at cards and mock a woman who reads romances. The baron becomes a lodger in the slums, and Pépel helps set him up with a bed. The baron joins the local card game, adjusting to his new surroundings.

The police inspector meets the slum landlord Kostylev and fixes his gaze on Kostylev's wife’s sister Natasha. This encounter foreshadows the inspector's involvement with Natasha and the simmering tensions in the slum.

Pépel speaks with Vassilissa; he laments that he never loved her but recalls their good times. She urges him to kill her husband, the old and mean landlord, signaling the dangerous path ahead.

A neighbor's mourning scene underscores the bleak mood of the slum. Pépel tells Natasha she should go with him, but she answers that she will leave for a man with a job, not a thief. The tension between love and survival grows.

The inspector and Natasha dine indoors while others outside celebrate to a band. Natasha resists the inspector's advances, and she remains wary of the life he promises. The inspector ultimately invites Natasha on a date, and she hints at a potential better life.

Pépel and the baron discuss life along the river bank; Pépel believes only leaving with Natasha could save him from a future prison. The riverbank setting frames their reflections on fate and escape.

The inspector and Natasha dine indoors while those outside celebrate to the band. Natasha resists the inspector’s advances. Pépel is pursued by Vassilissa among the revelers. He finds Natasha drunkenly enjoying the inspector's company, and a scuffle drives him to take Natasha away as the inspector calls for help. In the end, Pépel and Natasha confess their love for each other.

Kostylev and Vassilissa push Natasha to reconcile with the inspector. They beat Natasha in front of the whole lodger community. Pépel intervenes and the lodgers rally to attack Kostylev, resulting in Kostylev's death with no clear culprit.

Police arrive to find Pépel comforting Natasha and take him away. The baron tries to minimize the incident as a simple brawl, while others declare that 'the lower depths killed him', spreading guilt through the crowd.

Vassilissa leaves the slum, Natasha helps Pépel return from prison, and the resident known as 'the actor' commits suicide. Natasha and Pépel set off on the road with only a few possessions, leaving behind the slum life.